George (der Ältere) Barret Sold at Auction Prices

Landscape painter, b. 1728 - d. 1784

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Nov. 07, 2023
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET (1730 - 1784)
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
Extensive Wicklow landscape looking towards Dublin Bay. Oil on canvas. Approximate Time: 12:33 Lot No: 210
Sheppards
Apr. 18, 2023
George Barret RA (1732-1784) A Landscape with Figures and the Ruins of Melrose Abbey, Roxburghshire
Est: €50,000 - €70,000
George Barret RA (1732-1784) A Landscape with Figures and the Ruins of Melrose Abbey, Roxburghshire oil on canvas signed 'G. Barret' lower centre right h:107 w:147 cm. Provenance: Private Collection; These Rooms, 14th April 2020 lot 32; Private Collection Exhibited: Gorry Gallery, Dublin, 'An Exhibition of 18th-21st Century Irish Paintings' 12th-31st October 2020 No.1(illustrated on p.2) Dating from around 1770, this magnificent painting by George Barret shows the fifteenth-century ruins of Melrose Abbey, a medieval Cistercian monastery on the Scottish borders, beside the river Tweed. The main architectural features of the abbey, its east window and transepts, form the focal point of the composition. Through the east window can be glimpsed the presbytery and choir. In the left foreground, a family accompanied by a dog are picnicking in the shade of a tree. A boy in the group is proudly showing a fish he has caught in the nearby river. Scattered around the abbey precincts can be seen what appear to be low tables; these are gravestones, many of which survive, and the ruins as depicted by Barret are remarkably similar to those seen by visitors today. His painting, one of the earliest accurate views of the abbey, was painted around 1770 and commissioned by the Duke of Buccleuch. The choice of an Irish artist was appropriate, as the original abbey had been founded by St. Aidan of Lindisfarne, for monks from St. Columba's monastery on Iona. An early prior of Melrose, St. Cuthbert, later became prior of Lindisfarne. In the 12th century, the abbey was revived by Cistercian monks, but over the succeeding centuries the buildings were burned on several occasions during wars between England and Scotland. The abbey has long been recognised as an important historic site, and featured in Thomas Pennant's 1772 Tour in Scotland and Francis Grose's 1789 Antiquities of Scotland. Sir Walter Scott lived at Abbotsford, a few miles west of Melrose, and his 1803 poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, celebrates the abbey and its history. In addition to poets such as Scott, and William Wordsworth, the ruins at Melrose have inspired visual artists, among them Thomas Girtin, John Varley, David Roberts and William Turner-Turner's depiction of the east window is inscribed with a (slightly inaccurate) quotation from Scott's poem: "who'er would see fair Melrose right/ must visit by the pale Moonlight". When painted by Barret, the central part of the nave was still being used as the parish church for Melrose. His painting highlights the elegant Gothic traceries of the abbey, the same traceries that would later would inspire Scott: "The moon on the east oriel shone/Through slender shafts of shapely stone". Barret's painting appears to be one of the earliest accurate views of the abbey, and confirms his status as a rising star in the eighteenth-century English art world. Having moved to London from Dublin, aided by his patron Edmund Burke, Barret was securing commissions from wealthy patrons, including Buccleuch. In or around 1769 he visited the duke's estate at Dalkeith near Edinburgh, and stopped off at Melrose Abbey along the way, to make sketches. The results of this trip to Scotland were exhibited at the inaugural exhibition of the Royal Academy in London the following year and included views of the duke's estate. Another painting by Barret from this period Part of Melrose Abbey by Moonlight, indicating that Sir Walter Scott was not the first to encourage visitors to the abbey to make night time visits. For many years, the abbey was under the protection of the Dukes of Buccleuch, but in the early twentieth century was transferred to state ownership. A painting still in the Buccleuch collection at Bowhill, of the abbey's east window, compares closely to the present work. Born in the Liberties in Dublin, the son of a clothier, George Barret was largely self-taught as an artist, before enrolling at the Dublin Society's Drawing Schools, where he trained under Robert West and James Mannin. Influenced by aesthetic theories of Edmund Burke, to study from nature rather than copy old masters, Barret would take his canvas and paints out into the landscape, to places of scenic beauty in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains. In 1757 he married Frances Perry, and six years later they moved to London to advance his career. In 1764 he exhibited View of the Waterfall at Powerscourt and View in the Dargle at The Society of Artists. Barret was influential in the formation of the Royal Academy in 1768, and exhibited regularly there until 1782, when he was appointed Master Painter at Chelsea Hospital. His painted murals at Norbury Park include panoramic views of the Lake District. He also painted views of Welbeck Abbey in 1765. Barret's sons Joseph, James and George, and his daughter Mary, all became artists. Peter Murray, March 2023
Morgan O'Driscoll
Feb. 23, 2021
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET RA (1730-1784) Study of a Barn in a Landscape Watercolour, 13 x 18cm (5 x 7) Provenance: Heather Newman Gallery (now Newman Fine Art), Painswick (label verso).
Est: €300 - €500
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET RA (1730-1784) Study of a Barn in a Landscape Watercolour, 13 x 18cm (5 x 7) Provenance: Heather Newman Gallery (now Newman Fine Art), Painswick (label verso).
Adam's
Sep. 22, 2020
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET R.A. (1728 Ð 1784)
Est: €1,200 - €1,800
River scene with figures and distant town Watercolour On eighteenth Century laid paper Provenance: Co. Westmeath, one owner, Private collection
Sheppards
Apr. 14, 2020
George Barret (c.1728-1784) A Landscape with Figures and the Ruins of Melrose Abbey, Roxburghshire
Est: €60,000 - €90,000
George Barret (c.1728-1784) A Landscape with Figures and the Ruins of Melrose Abbey, Roxburghshire oil on canvas signed lower right h:106 w:147 cm. Provenance: Private Collection
Morgan O'Driscoll
Mar. 14, 2020
Aft. George Barret Sr. River Landscape Painting
Est: $600 - $900
Ireland,Circa 1730-1784 Romanticist landscape depicting a river in a forested meadow created in the late18th to early 19th century by a follower of George Barret Sr. R.A.
Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers
Oct. 15, 2019
GEORGE BARRET SNR. RA (c.1730-1784)Landscape with FiguresOil on canvas, 99 x 134.5cm (39 x 53'')Barret was a friend of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - and their work therefore engages an Anglo-Irish perspective on landscape which requires an inherent
Est: €25,000 - €35,000
GEORGE BARRET SNR. RA (c.1730-1784)Landscape with FiguresOil on canvas, 99 x 134.5cm (39 x 53'')Barret was a friend of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - and their work therefore engages an Anglo-Irish perspective on landscape which requires an inherent connection between aesthetics and politics which, like other aspects of Irish history, have been underplayed in the dominant narratives of British art. [1]The son of a tailor, Barret was born in Dublin. He was to become a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768, and his work was popular in his lifetime. [2] According to Thomas Bodkin, George Barret, the elder, was reputed in his day, to be the greatest landscape painter whom Ireland, England, or Scotland had till then produced. [3] Despite this Barret experienced the vicissitudes of the eighteenth century art market and ended his life in relative obscurity and bankruptcy. While this picture may be undated, based on a stylistic analysis the present picture was painted before Barret's move to London around 1763 and was most certainly an Irish view. The composition was allegedly influenced by Burkes ideas on the Sublime and the Beautiful. The enhanced detail of this early painting in the style of romantic realism creates a 'sublime' mood. It is rumoured that Burke introduced Barret to the Dargle Valley near Powerscourt Falls during the early 1760s leading to a connection with one of Barrets earliest patrons, Lord Powerscourt, owner of this property. Patrons such as the Taylours of Headford and the Conollys of Castletown began to commission series of topographical paintings. These landscapes demonstrated the extent of Barret's talent and helped him establish his reputation in London. Barret soon began exhibiting views of the Dargle Valley at the Society of Artists of Great Britain.This painting has several characteristics typical of Barrets early work including the framing of the trees, diffused light the heavy application of and the use of saturated colour. To the right of the composition, a cluster of trees and foliage almost reach the top of the canvas. The painting depicts two men with a two washerwomen with one holding a baby. There is a dog with them while they are fishing along a stream with two fishnets. A view of a town can be seen in the distance. This painting was purchased by a Dublin dealer, Mrs. Rosie Black and was restored, lined and given a new stretcher before it was purchased in the 1980s.1] For treatments of this see for example L. Gibbons, Edmund Burke and Ireland: Aesthetics, Politics, and the Colonial Sublime (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).2] E. Waterhouse, Painting in Britain, 1530-1790 (Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1978), pp. 241-2.3] T. Bodkin, Four Irish Landscape Painters (Dublin: The Talbot Press, 1920).
Adam's
Jun. 12, 2019
George Barret RA (1730-1884)Horses, Sheep and a Cow in LandscapeOil on panel, 13.5 x 16.75cm (5.25 x 6.5)Inscribed 'Landscape by Barrett (sic), Cattle by Gilpin' in ink versoEnclosed in a carved and gilded Louis XIV oak frameFew works on this
Est: €1,500 - €2,500
George Barret RA (1730-1884)Horses, Sheep and a Cow in LandscapeOil on panel, 13.5 x 16.75cm (5.25 x 6.5)Inscribed 'Landscape by Barrett (sic), Cattle by Gilpin' in ink versoEnclosed in a carved and gilded Louis XIV oak frameFew works on this scale by Barret are recorded. However, discussing prices with a client, Barret wrote in 1775: 'I have painted pictures from 10ft down to 5ins.'[1]1] A. Laing, Clerics and Connoisseurs: An Irish Art Collection Through Three Centuries, p. 102 (London: English Heritage, 2001)
Adam's
May. 27, 2019
George Barret RA (1732-1784) ANGLERS IN THE DARGLE VALLEY, COUNTY WICKLOW
Est: €50,000 - €70,000
with Christie's number [CE719] on reverse (referring to a valuation)
Whyte's
Mar. 27, 2019
George Barret Snr. RA (c.1730-1784)Landscape with FiguresOil on canvas, 99 x 134.5cm (39 x 53'')Barret was a friend of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - and their work therefore engages an Anglo-Irish perspective on landscape which requires an inherent
Est: €50,000 - €80,000
George Barret Snr. RA (c.1730-1784)Landscape with FiguresOil on canvas, 99 x 134.5cm (39 x 53'')Barret was a friend of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - and their work therefore engages an Anglo-Irish perspective on landscape which requires an inherent connection between aesthetics and politics which, like other aspects of Irish history, have been underplayed in the dominant narratives of British art. [1]The son of a tailor, Barret was born in Dublin. He was to become a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768, and his work was popular in his lifetime. [2] According to Thomas Bodkin, George Barret, the elder, was reputed in his day, to be the greatest landscape painter whom Ireland, England, or Scotland had till then produced. [3] Despite this Barret experienced the vicissitudes of the eighteenth century art market and ended his life in relative obscurity and bankruptcy. While this picture may be undated, based on a stylistic analysis the present picture was painted before Barret's move to London around 1763 and was most certainly an Irish view. The composition was allegedly influenced by Burkes ideas on the Sublime and the Beautiful. The enhanced detail of this early painting in the style of romantic realism creates a 'sublime' mood. It is rumoured that Burke introduced Barret to the Dargle Valley near Powerscourt Falls during the early 1760s leading to a connection with one of Barrets earliest patrons, Lord Powerscourt, owner of this property. Patrons such as the Taylours of Headford and the Conollys of Castletown began to commission series of topographical paintings. These landscapes demonstrated the extent of Barret's talent and helped him establish his reputation in London. Barret soon began exhibiting views of the Dargle Valley at the Society of Artists of Great Britain.This painting has several characteristics typical of Barrets early work including the framing of the trees, diffused light the heavy application of and the use of saturated colour. To the right of the composition, a cluster of trees and foliage almost reach the top of the canvas. The painting depicts two men with a two washerwomen with one holding a baby. There is a dog with them while they are fishing along a stream with two fishnets. A view of a town can be seen in the distance. This painting was purchased by a Dublin dealer, Mrs. Rosie Black and was restored, lined and given a new stretcher before it was purchased in the 1980s.1] For treatments of this see for example L. Gibbons, Edmund Burke and Ireland: Aesthetics, Politics, and the Colonial Sublime (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).2] E. Waterhouse, Painting in Britain, 1530-1790 (Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1978), pp. 241-2.3] T. Bodkin, Four Irish Landscape Painters (Dublin: The Talbot Press, 1920).
Adam's
Dec. 07, 2018
George Barret, Sen., R.A. (Dublin 1728/31-1784 London ) - A mountainous river landscape based on the Dargle Valley in County Wicklow,...
Est: £50,000 - £70,000
George Barret, Sen., R.A. (Dublin 1728/31-1784 London ) A mountainous river landscape based on the Dargle Valley in County Wicklow,... oil on canvas 42 x 54 in. (106.7 x 137.2 cm.)
Christie's
Nov. 27, 2018
GEORGE BARRET, R.A., (1730-1784)
Est: €2,500 - €3,500
A romantic landscape with a castle, a lake and figure to the foreground, Oil on canvas
Sheppards
Oct. 16, 2018
GEORGE BARRET (1730-1784)View at Gibside, Newcastle upon Tyne (the Seat of Lord Strathmore) with the Column to Liberty in the BackgroundWatercolour, 24 x 36.5cmProvenance: Spink & Son, Ltd., circa 1950 (inscribed label verso).
Est: €500 - €700
GEORGE BARRET (1730-1784)View at Gibside, Newcastle upon Tyne (the Seat of Lord Strathmore) with the Column to Liberty in the BackgroundWatercolour, 24 x 36.5cmProvenance: Spink & Son, Ltd., circa 1950 (inscribed label verso).
Adam's
Oct. 16, 2018
GEORGE BARRET (1730-1784)A Mountainous Landscape with a Farmstead and CowsWatercolour, 28.5 x 41.5cmSigned and dated 1763Old handwritten label fragment verso
Est: €1,500 - €2,000
GEORGE BARRET (1730-1784)A Mountainous Landscape with a Farmstead and CowsWatercolour, 28.5 x 41.5cmSigned and dated 1763Old handwritten label fragment verso
Adam's
Oct. 16, 2018
CIRCLE OF GEORGE BARRET SNR (c.1728-1784)Figures in a LandscapeOil on canvas, 51 x 61cm
Est: €2,000 - €4,000
CIRCLE OF GEORGE BARRET SNR (c.1728-1784)Figures in a LandscapeOil on canvas, 51 x 61cm
Adam's
May. 16, 2018
CIRCLE OF GEORGE BARRET (DUBLIN 1728/32-1784 LONDO
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
CIRCLE OF GEORGE BARRET (DUBLIN 1728/32-1784 LONDON) Lions and leopards in a wooded landscape oil on canvas 30 x 41 in. (76.2 x 104.1 cm.)
Chiswick Auctions
Oct. 10, 2017
GEORGE BARRET SNR (c.1728-1784)A Mountainous Wooded River Landscape with a Waterfall and Three FiguresOil on canvas, 96.5 x 125.7cmProvenance: Senator Edward McGuire, Newtown Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin; Christie's, 21st March 1969, Lot 80George
Est: €200,000 - €400,000
GEORGE BARRET SNR (c.1728-1784)A Mountainous Wooded River Landscape with a Waterfall and Three FiguresOil on canvas, 96.5 x 125.7cmProvenance: Senator Edward McGuire, Newtown Park, Blackrock, Co. Dublin; Christie's, 21st March 1969, Lot 80George Barret was a friend of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) - and their work therefore engages an Anglo-Irish perspective on landscape which requires an inherent connection between aesthetics and politics which, like other aspects of Irish history, have been underplayed in the dominant narratives of British art. The son of a tailor, Barret was born in Dublin. He was to become a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768, and his work was popular in his lifetime. According to Thomas Bodkin, George Barret, the elder, was reputed in his day, to be the greatest landscape painter whom Ireland, England, or Scotland had till then produced. Despite this Barret experienced the vicissitudes of the eighteenth century art market and ended his life in relative obscurity and bankruptcy. Although he attained the title of Official Painter to the Chelsea Royal Hospital in 1782 thanks to Burkes intervention, Barret died before he was able to take it up. In his stead, his son James assumed the role. As friend of Burke, with whom Barret shared an Anglo-Irish background, Barrets work explores the ideas of the Sublime, reflecting the influence of Burkes treatise A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful (1756). A panoramic view of the Lake District (c.1780) commissioned by William Locke to decorate a room at his house, Norbury Park, Surrey, is considered Barrets masterpiece. Despite Barrets success as a painter, his position at the Royal Academy and the support he received from Burke, he has historically been seen as belonging to a lower tier of artistic merit than his better-known contemporaries. Contemporary painters such as Wilson themselves perceived this inequality, describing Barrets paintings as depicting foliage like spinach and eggs. Unlike Wilson, Barret did not travel to Italy, and borrowed his classical motifs from prints or from Wilsons paintings in order to cater to the tastes of his grand tourist patrons. Barret required to make a living from his work and many of his paintings were primarily intended for sale or as part of interior decoration commissions, for which Barret gained much contemporary commercial success - as at Norbury Park. Similarly lucrative commissions include ten views of Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire, which Barret had painted in 1765-7 for William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, and 1768 he received a similar commission from Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch to record the mountainous landscapes around Dalkeith Park, Lothian, as in A Rocky River Scene. These pictures were exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1769 and 1771.Based on a stylistic analysis the present picture was painted before Barrets move to London around 1763 and is most certainly an Irish view. The composition was influenced by Burkes ideas on the Sublime and the Beautiful. The enhanced detail of this early painting in the style of romantic realism creates a sublime mood. It is rumoured that Burke introduced Barret to the Dargle Valley near Powerscourt Falls during the early 1760s leading to a connection with one of Barrets earliest patrons, Lord Powerscourt, owner of this property. Patrons such as the Taylours of Headford and the Conollys of Castletown began to commission series of topographical paintings. These landscapes demonstrated the extent of Barrets talent and helped him establish his reputation in London. Barret soon began exhibiting views of the Dargle Valley at the Society of Artists of Great Britain. This painting has several characteristics typical of Barrets work including the framing of the trees, diffused light and the heavy application of and the use of saturated colour. To the right of the composition, a cluster of trees and foliage almost reach the top of the canvas. In the centre there is a view of distant hills beyond a waterfall in the middle ground slightly to the right. The finely detailed figures in the foreground towards the bottom right corner catch the viewers eye, given the complimentary use of red to depict their clothing. One balances on a fallen tree near two anglers apparently in conversation. The distinctive brown palette is vaguely reminiscent of the Dutch artist Jacob van Ruisdael whose work Barret had studied while painting under Robert West in the Royal Dublin Society.A considerable number of Barrets early stylistic features are present in the painting and can be seen in other pictures executed around the same period. The repeated traits typically include a dominating tree on one side of the painting; a body of water or waterfall in the centre, or slightly placed to the right, and a distant view of mountains or hills. For example, an ex-Gorry Gallery piece, An Irish Landscape inspired by the Dargle Valley, must have been painted around the same time. The views are similar in size, composition and, colour palettes. Both paintings have anglers dressed in red and are lit by diffused light. The National Gallery of Irelands: An Extensive Wooded Landscape with Fishermen Hauling in their Nets in the Foreground also shares the same basic elements with the overall effect of creating the sublime grandeur, as inspired by Burke.Logan MorseAugust 2017
Adam's
Sep. 26, 2017
GEORGE BARRET, RA (IRISH, 1730-84)
Est: €1,200 - €1,800
Classical wooded river landscape, with a shepherd at rest in the foreground with his dog, a cottage beyondOil on canvas (unlined)Enclosed in a decorative frameNote: See lot 20
Sheppards
Sep. 26, 2017
GEORGE BARRET, RA (IRISH, 1730-84)
Est: €800 - €1,200
A classical Italianate landscape with figures in the foregroundOil on canvasEnclosed in a decorative gilt frameNote: See lot 21
Sheppards
Jul. 12, 2017
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET, (BRITISH B. C. 1728-1784), AUTUMN LANDSCAPE WITH STREAM
Est: $500 - $700
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET (british b. c. 1728-1784) AUTUMN LANDSCAPE WITH STREAM Oil on panel 11 7/8 x 15 1/2 in. (30.2 x 39.4cm) provenance: Private Collection, Florida.
Freeman's
Apr. 27, 2017
GEORGE BARRET (IRISH, 1730-84)
Est: €800 - €1,200
The Great Sugarloaf Mountain, Co. Wicklow with a figure on horseback alongside a dog in foreground Oil on canvas Enclosed in a gilt frame George Barret (Irish, 1730-84) was born in Dublin. He began his artistic career as a pupil of Robert West at his drawing school in George's Lane, and was encouraged by Edmund Burke to take up landscape painting. His early works are views in Co. Wicklow, on the River Dargle and the Powerscourt Estate. Some of these were painted on a large scale. To seek his fortune as an artist, Barret travelled to London in 1762. His landscapes were favourably received and his patrons included the Duke of Buccleuch and the Duke of Portland of Welbeck Abbey. In 1768, Barret was one of the founders of the Royal Academy. He exhibited thirteen works at the Society of Artists and thirty-two at the Royal Academy. Works by Barret can be seen at the National Gallery of Ireland, the Ulster Museum, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Sheppards
Jan. 23, 2017
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET, (BRITISH C. 1728-1784), AUTUMN LANDSCAPE WITH STREAM
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
ATTRIBUTED TO GEORGE BARRET (british c. 1728-1784) AUTUMN LANDSCAPE WITH STREAM Oil on panel 11 7/8 x 15 1/2 in. (30.2 x 39.4cm) provenance: Private Collection, Florida.
Freeman's
Dec. 01, 2016
GEORGE BARRET, RA (IRISH, 1730-1784)
Est: €600 - €800
GEORGE BARRET, RA (IRISH, 1730-1784) A lake scene with figures seated in the foreground . A castle in the distance Oil on canvas (unlined) George Barret was born in Dublin in 1732. He began his artistic career as a pupil of Robert West at his drawing school in George's Lane, and was encouraged by Edmund Burke to take up landscape painting. His early works are views in Co. Wicklow, on the River Dargle and the Powerscourt Estate. Some of these were painted on a large scale. To seek his fortune as an artist, Barret travelled to London in 1762. His landscapes were favourably received and his patrons included the Duke of Buccleuch and the Duke of Portland of Welbeck Abbey. In 1768, Barret was one of the founders of the Royal Academy. He exhibited 13 works at the Society of Artists and 32 at the Royal Academy. Works by Barret can be seen at the National Gallery of Ireland, the Ulster Museum, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.12¼ x 12¼ inches (31 x 31 cm.)
Sheppards
Sep. 06, 2016
GEORGE BARRET RA (1732-1784)View of Tintern Abbey, Co. WexfordOil on canvas, 40 x 53cmProvenance: Purchased from Sabin Galleries, Cork Street, LondonSituated on the west shore of Bannow Bay in Co. Wexford, Tintern Abbey was one of the most power
Est: €8,000 - €10,000
GEORGE BARRET RA (1732-1784)View of Tintern Abbey, Co. WexfordOil on canvas, 40 x 53cmProvenance: Purchased from Sabin Galleries, Cork Street, LondonSituated on the west shore of Bannow Bay in Co. Wexford, Tintern Abbey was one of the most powerful Cistercian foundations in the South East until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Upon which in 1575 it was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Anthony Colclough of Staffordshire and it remained within the Colclough family until 1959. The family made considerable extensions to the abbey to accommodate its new domestic function. They also demolished some outer buildings and used the stone to erect the neat bridge over the small tidal river, as seen in the background of Barrets painting, located only short distance from the demesne. This inclusion of recognisable architectural features, common to Barrets work, marked them out as studied compositions as distinct from arbitrary observations. A degree of order is applied to the view in an attempt to enhance rather than fabricate the landscapes innate qualities. That is not to say the work is without its elements of illusionism with Barret adding a consummate air of intensity through the stark cloud filled sky. Equally the staffage figures in the foreground add a degree of narrative embellishment to the scene. During the second-half of the eighteenth century wild landscapes and medieval ruined buildings came to be seen as fascinating and mysterious. Their echoes of romantic tales attracted tourists to these locations with British and Irish artists increasingly developing an appreciation and stylistic expression for their own environments rather than imitating Italianate or Dutch landscape traditions.
Adam's