Henry tells Dorian what he thinks each person should be like. Basil, on the other hand, is the observer of the exchange between the two. In a sense, he is oblivious to what is going on because he loses himself in his work. But, Basil paints what is there in front of him. He painted Dorian as Dorian was before he began to think about his conversations with Henry.
Henry claims that physical beauty is most important.
In his ratings, only his enemies were smart, but his friends were beautiful. Basil sees that Dorian is pure and good. He also realizes that Henry is corrupt and warned him from corrupting Dorian as well. Dorian is the inspiration of Basil s work. What Henry doesn t realize and what Basil tries to tell him is that beauty is from within.