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Overview
George Barret (1732-1784) was a prominent British artist known for his landscapes, and he was also a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he studied painting and drawing first under Robert West and later under James Mannin. At Trinity College, Dublin, Barret met Edmund Burke (1729-1797), who became a lifelong friend to him. Burke’s influential publication A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757) had a big impact on Barret’s early landscapes.
While his earliest works were often idealised, Italianate scenes based on works by Claude Lorrain or Piranesi, Barret soon established himself as a master of local Irish and British landscapes. In 1763 he moved to London, where his reputation as an expert landscape painter earned him the patronage of numerous wealthy landowners who wanted their estates and parks painted. As a founding member, Barrett also exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1769 and 1781. In 1782, he became the master painter for the Chelsea Hospital, upon Burke’s recommendation.
Despite his specialisation in oil paintings of wild and mountainous landscapes, this watercolour example exudes a peaceful atmosphere, with a farmer and his flock of sheep blending into the scenery.
Further reading:
Bodkin, Thomas (1920), Four Irish landscape painters: George Barret, R. A., James A. O'Connor, Walter F. Osborne, R. H. A., Nathaniel Hone, R. H. A., Dublin: The Talbot Press, London: T. F. Unwin.
Mallalieu, H.L. (1986), The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920: Volume I – The Text, 2nd edition, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club.