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Full Idea
All art is quite useless.
Gist of Idea
All art is quite useless
Source
Oscar Wilde (Preface to 'Dorian Gray' [1891])
Book Ref
Wilde,Oscar: 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' [Penguin 1949], p.6
A Reaction
Echoes Kant's thought that art is 'purposive without purpose'. Although I find Wilde's claims that morality has nothing to do with art to be naïve, I find this remark sympathetic. Art may play with moral feelings, but is unlikely to affect actions.