James Barry Romanticism British Artist 1741-1806 Review

James Barry Romanticism British Artist 1741-1806 Review

Today, I wanted to review some amassing Romanticism paintings by James Barry. James Barry was an Irish painter. What earned him fame where his six paintings called "The Progress of human Culture".He was considered an early romantic painter because of his stubbornness. Instead of painting the way his patrons wanted, he did whatever he felt like.





Naturally, this led him to serious bouts of poverty. He died from an illness after completing his Pandora painting. It is kinda ironic if you think about. In the Greek world, Pandora brought sickness into the world of Man. I find it hilarious that he died because of his Pandora painting. It took many years for people to acknowledge him as a great artist. It was not until 1983, when the art world decided he was a great artist. I think that is enough background information on James Barry. Now, I will review eight of his paintings that I like a lot.

The first painting worth rating is called "The Education of Achilles". Here we see Achilles studying under Chiron. He was the centaur who taught him how to be a warrior. As he spoke, Achilles busied himself with the harp. That is the instrument he played when he was not fighting. Beside him, we see his shield and his spear. Both are in the forest studying. This shows the ideal Greek education for a boy. Chiron taught Achilles "pidea". Pidea was different from regular education. It is moral education. He taught Achilles how to be a good boy and how to live with moderation. Not just anyone can teach you these moral lessons. In any case, this lovely mythological painting by James Barry deserves 5 stars rating.

The next lovely painting shows Jupiter and Juno. Both represent the ideal Roman marriage. In the Roman world, Zeus stopped being fun. The Romans went out of their way to clean his reputation. Truly, those Romans were major stiff. As such, we see Jupiter about to kiss his Juno. Both are resting inside a cloud. They look pretty cute together. What I like best is how Juno is playing around with her hair and the one of her husband. As for Jupiter, he has his hand beneath her robes. Needless to say, this painting is the best example of Marital Love. Jupiter and Juno know everything about one another. Once again, they will become one in the heavens. This lovely painting by James Barry deserves 5 stars rating.

This painting shows the Climax of King Lear. Because of his stupidity, he cause the death of the only daughter that truly loved him. Unlike his daughter, King Lear managed to survive by killing his executioners. However, his girl was not so lucky. In this scene, we see King Lear crying over the body of his dead daughter. His gaze looks quite insane. The men before him are his allies. They are trying to talk some sense into him. However, the King is caught in his tragic moment. They ask him to resume his throne. However, the pain he has suffered causes him to die. This is the moment before the old man joins his beloved daughter in death. This tragic painting by James Barry deserves 5 stars rating.

In this painting, we see a lovely self portrait of James Barry. This was from his later years. By this time, he had turned into an annoying, angry painter. As such, the artist in this self portrait is showing us one of his artworks. In the background, we see a foot stepping over a snake. It is likely the feet of the virgin who tramples over the devil. Within the painting, we see Pan ,the goat God, in the foreground. For a background, we see more of his faun brethren. Thus, we have a contrast between chaos and salvation. In Barry's hand, we see a pencil that he uses to point as himself. In any case, this stubborn Irishman of a painter deserves 5 stars ratings.

The next painting worth rating is called "Kinderszene".  This genre scene is a bit unusual of James Barry. He was the kind of stubborn artist that like grand subjects. This was from the period before he met his betters. Before then, he only cared for his art. After he met richer, better artists, his paintings turned sour. What is lovely about this painting is its sweet innocence. Here a little boy is bringing a bird to a little girl he loves. The puppy beside him shows that the boy is suffering from puppy love.  He really likes that little blonde girl. Since he is a child, the only way he knows how to express his love is by doing nice gestures for his girl. Following this train of thoughts, the boy got a little bird for the girl. What is romantic about this painting is that this is an inaccessible love. A huge wall  is separating the boy from the girl. Truly, this innocent romantic painting by James Barry deserves 5 stars rating.

Here is another self portrait of James Barry. This was an earlier painting. A keen observer will notice that in the last painting, he still wore the same ugly red coat. That is an earlier sign of his poverty. For a background, we see several practice drawings of faces. Like the background figures, Barry is turning around. Truly, this lovely study of faces deserves 5 stars rating.

This last painting is called "The Temptation of Adam". We have all seen 100 different version of this painting. It is interesting how the painter manages to hide their parts using the forbidden fruit. On the floor, we see the snake taking a bite off the apple. This painting implies that the snake too partook of forbidden knowledge. For a background, we see the other animals of the garden of Eden. What is neat is Adam's worried expression. Truly, this lovely painting deserves 5 stars rating. I hope that you liked this James Barry review. I have more art blogs planned for the near future.