Mark Schuler: Oscar Wilde

Artist: Mark Schuler
1951 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1980
Image Size: 10.25 by 11.75 inches
Overall Size: 15 by 17 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

The author of some of the most brilliant essays and comedies in the English language was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin. Oscar Wilde gained a reputation as a poet and wit during his four years at Magdalen College in Oxford. In 1878, he ventured to London where he called attention to himself through his bizarre manner of dress and his portrait as an aesthete. While in London, Wilde quickly exhausted a small inheritance from his father. His desperate need for money drove him to lecture in the United States. His unusual wit kept the American people laughing while he eagerly reaped monetary rewards. He contined to use his gift for witty phraseology to make money quickly and easily. Lady Windemere's Fan was the first of his comedies to bring Wilde quick money. His second effort, A Woman of No Importance, was an immediate hit and brought him enough money to live in extreme luxury surrounded by young male disciples who flattered him grossly. It was one of the disciples, Lord Alford Douglas, who brought about the ruin of Oscar Wilde. Lord Alford's father, the marquess of Queensbury, sued Wilde on grounds of immorality. Wilde was condemned to two year's hard labor. This cruel sentence took it toll on Wilde and he died a few years later on November 30, 1900, in Paris. But he left behind a collection of works which thrive in theaters even today. Perhaps the best known of these is The Importance of Being Earnest, a classic of satirical nonsense and his most characteristic work.

This artwork was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the Ireland Europa stamp featured in the 1980 Portraits of Greatness collection.

Artwork Copyright © 1980 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB06571

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