Oscar Wilde's astonishing parable novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young man obsessed with his own beauty. In Wilde's novel, a revived portrait of a young handsome man begins to live one life with Dorian himself. At the same time, the portrait ages and changes as the hero destroys his soul. Dorian remains the same youth with the perfect face of a Greek god, while shadows of depravity, self-righteousness and cruelty fall on his portrait.
Behind the spectacular literary metaphor of this work, one can see the idea of the mystical connection between the artist and the model, the viewer and the work of art. Back in the 15th century, Heinrich Cornelius Nettesheim - theologian, doctor, occultist, astrologer and lawyer - said the words: "Fear the painter's brush, his portrait may turn out to be more alive than the original." This statement goes back to the oldest prohibitions on the image of a person established by Judaism and Islam.
In real life, portraits do not come to life, but this does not mean that they do not carry an energy charge that is transmitted to the viewer. Many people notice that excursions to museums and exhibitions take a lot of energy. Sometimes a feeling of psychological fatigue is felt precisely because powerful works "impose" the artist's vision. And this vision can come into conflict with the personal feelings of the viewer or, conversely, in case of coincidence, overload him with overwhelming emotions.
There is no doubt that visual contact with the picture affects the mood, often, without thinking about it, people get irritated or, on the contrary, calm down and come to life when looking at this or that canvas. A large number of great works are known that have a particularly strong impact on the viewer. Unable to cope with the surging impressions and feelings, people faint or fall into numbness, cry or laugh, come into a state of inexplicable aggression …
Irina Vinokurova