The most striking, however, though by no means the most reasonable
converser amongst those who generally volunteered their colloquial
services in St. Martin’s-street, was that eminent painter, and
entertaining character, Mr. Barry; who, with a really innocent belief
that he was the most modest and moderate of men, nourished the most
insatiable avidity of applause; who, with a loudly laughing defiance of
the ills of life, was internally and substantially sinking under their
annoyance; and who, with a professed and sardonic contempt of rival
prosperity or superiority, disguised, even to himself, the bitterness
with which he pined at the success which he could not share, but to
which he flattered himself that he was indifferent, or above; because
so to be, behoved the character of his believed adoption, that of a
genuine votary to philanthropy and philosophy.
His ideas and his views of his art he held, and justly, to be sublime;
but his glaring execution of the most chaste designs left his practice
in the lurch, even where his theory was most perfect.
He disdained to catch any hints from the works, much less from the
counsel, of Sir Joshua Reynolds; from whose personal kindness and
commanding abilities he had unfortunately been cut off by early
disagreement; for nearly as they approached each other in their ideas,
and their knowledge of their art, their process, in cultivating their
several talents, had as little accord, as their method of organizing
their intellectual attributes and characters. And, indeed, the
inveterate dissension of Barry with Sir Joshua Reynolds, must always
be in his own disfavour, though his harder fate must mingle pity with
censure—little thankfully as his high spirit would have accepted
such a species of mitigation. It is not, however, probable, that the
fiery Mr. Barry should have received from the serene and candid Sir
Joshua, the opening provocation; Sir Joshua, besides his unrivalled
professional merits,[56] had a negative title to general approbation,
that included many an affirmative one; “Sir Joshua Reynolds,” said Dr.
Johnson,[57] “possesses the largest share of inoffensiveness of any man
that I know.”
Yet Mr. Barry had many admirable as well as uncommon qualities. His
moral sentiments were liberal, nay, noble; he was full fraught, almost
bursting with vigorous genius; and his eccentricities, both in manner
and notions, made his company generally enlightening, and always
original and entertaining.