Because, without intending it, I have put into it some expression of all this curious artistic idolatry, of which, of course, I have never cared to speak to him.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 1. While Basil has put all of his "idolatry" of Dorian into his portrait, he has never spoken to Dorian about this. His idolization of his subject suggests that he has more that just an artistic interest in Dorian, but a love interest in him also. This is one of the the homoerotic passages in the novel, which sparked such controversy and opposition to it when published.