The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things. The highest, as the lowest, form of criticism is a mode of autobiography.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Criticism is a personal reinterpretation of beauty, turning one's impression into a new expression.
- In plain terms
- Critics rewrite what they find beautiful in their own way.
- What can you take from it?
- See criticism as a form of self‑expression.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does your own experience shape your judgment?
- When does criticism become self‑indulgent?
Another view
It may blur the line between objective assessment and personal bias.
More from Oscar Wilde
The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.
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