308 



BARRY. 



Barry, countenance, to which the mingled emotions of his at- 

 tendants afford a very powerful contrast. One of his 

 guards prepares, with uplifted battle-axe, to strike the 

 saint to the ground, but is restrained by another who 

 points in admiration to the king : of the female at- 

 tendants, some kneel in solemn reverence before the 

 priest, and others tremblein anxiety for their sovereign. 

 When Barry had embodied this story on canvass, he 

 set out with it for Dublin, accompanied by a friend 

 and school-fellow ; and arrived in that capital on the 

 eve of a public exhibition of paintings. Though 

 without a single recommendation, he obtained leave 

 to exhibit his picture ; and had the satisfaction to 

 hear it universally applauded. The superior advan- 

 tages which the capital afforded for his improvement 

 and encouragement as a painter, made him relinquish 

 all thoughts of returning to his native city. 



The most material advantage which he derived from 

 liis residence in Dublin, was his acquaintance with Mr 

 Burke, to whom he was introduced through the kind- 

 ness of Dr Sleigh, a physician in Cork, and a very en- 

 lightened amateur of the art of which Barry became so 

 distinguished a master. In one of his first interviews 

 with Mr Burke, an amusing incident took place, which 

 could not fail to increase highly their mutual admira- 

 tion and friendship. They were disputing on the sub- 

 ject of the arts as grounded on taste, when Barry, in 

 opposition to Mr Burke's opinion, quoted the autho- 

 rity of a very able, though anonymous treatise, which 

 had lately appeared. Mr Burke ridiculed the work 

 as a mere theoretical romance, unworthy of attention, 

 and useless as an authority. The contest became 

 warm ; and Barry's defence of this admired perform- 

 ance was rising even into rage, when Mr Burke, to 

 appease him, acknowledged himself the author. Bar- 

 ry flew with transport to embrace him, and shewed 

 him a copy of the Essay on the Sublime and Beau- 

 tiful which he had been at the pains to transcribe. 



After residing about eight months in Dublin, he 

 accompanied some of Mr Burke's family to London ; 

 where he was introduced, through the recommenda- 

 tion of his distinguished friend, to the most eminent 

 painters, and engaged in an employment, which, 

 though not very dignified, at least afforded him the 

 means of subsistence, and promised considerable pro- 

 fessional improvement. That employment was to 

 copy in oil colours drawings by Mr Stewart, the 

 successor of Hogarth, better known by the name of 

 Athenian Stewart. But to become a finished artist, 

 it was necessary that he sho-'ld study the works of 

 the great Italian masters ; and his generous patrons, 

 Mr Edmund Burke, and his two brothers, provided 

 him with the means of enjoying this essential advan- 

 tage. Accordingly he set out for the Continent to- 

 wards the latter end of 'he year 1765. During a re- 

 sidence of about ten months in Paris, he was very di- 

 ligently employed in studying the best works in the 

 various collections which that city contains, and in 

 drawing after living subjects in St Luke's academy. 

 From Paris he proceeded to Rome, where he continued 

 nearly five years. 



His mode of study, during his residence in that 

 great emporium of the arts, was very different from 

 the course generally pursued by young artists who 

 resort thither for improvement. With an imagina- 

 tion capable of conceiving and of relishing whatever 



is grand and beautiful in art, he contemplated, with the 

 most enthusiastic admiration, the noble specimens of 

 both, which he found in the antique statues, and in the 

 works of Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Titian. These 

 inimitable models so completely occupied his atten- 

 tion, that, in one of his letters to Sir Joshua Reynolds, 

 he informs him, that for near three years he had never 

 employed himself for two hours on any thing else, 

 except some little things of his own invention, and a 

 piece of a figure of a Magdalen by Annibal Carracci. 

 From these he endeavoured to exalt and refine his 

 ideas of perfection in painting ; and to catch the 

 spirit which they breathed without condescending 

 often to the mechanical drudgery of copying. We 

 should be disposed, perhaps, to regret that more of 

 his time was not devoted to his practical improve- 

 ment in the art, were .we not convinced that the very 

 masterly criticisms which he has made on most of 

 the paintings which he studied, and the excellent 

 rules which he has deduced from them, are a much 

 more valuable legacy to future artists, than the most 

 finished productions, which, with the utmost atten- 

 tion to mechanical execution, his pencil could ever 

 have produced. 



Soon after his arrival in Rome, he was engaged 

 in keen hostilities with the Cicerones. The con- 

 tempt which they expressed for English artists, many 

 of whom were hit particular friends, offended at 

 once his private feelings, and his national pride. His 

 temper, naturally irritable, was often inflamed to 

 rage, in the defence of his opinions, which, though 

 generally correct, were frequently singular ; while 

 the knavery of the traffickers in antiquity, continual- 

 ly employed in duping his countrymen, drew from 

 him the most passionate expressions of indignation. 

 He became of course an object of general hatred 

 to all the artists who resided at Rome ; and his 

 imagination was continually haunted with the idea 

 of conspiracies formed to injure and depress him. 

 By the mild and judicious remonstrances of his friends 

 in London, he appears to have been in some measure 

 restored to his temper and to peace; for in one of 

 his letters we hear him say, that he spends his 

 time agreeably with those whom he had formerly re- 

 garded with so much rancour and apprehension. 



On his return to England in 1771, he determined to 

 distinguish himself bysome masterly production, which 

 might at once establish his fame as a painter. The 

 subject which he chose was Venus ; and the public 

 immediately recognized his amazing powers in em- 

 bodying the most exquisite ideas of beauty and graces 

 Next year he produced a picture of Jupiter and Juno 

 on Mount Ida, which was received as a favourable 

 specimen of his talents for the great style. In the 

 choice of his next subject, the deatli of General 

 Wolfe, he was extremely unfortunate : for how could 

 he expect to succeed in painting figures in the mo- 

 dern costume, which he had always affected to de- 

 spise, as disguising the human form? The same con- 

 tempt for the stiffness of modern dress rendered him 

 extremely averse to portrait painting, which he con- 

 sidered, at any rate, as but an inferior branch of the 

 art ; but this can never apologise for his ingratitude and 

 incivility to his steady friend and patron Mr Burke. 

 DrBrocklesby had expressed a desire to have a portrait 

 of that gentleman painted by Barry j and Mr Burke 



Barry. 



