Brief Biography-George Barret was born in the Liberties in Dublin between 1728 and 1732. His father was a clothier and apprenticed him as a corset maker. Barret was self-taught as an artist and earned his money from tinting engravings to educate himself in the schools of the Dublin Society.
He caught the attention of Edmond Burke, the future politician who encouraged him to paint from nature rather than copying the Great Masters. Burke introduced him to Viscount Powerscourt, who commissioned him to do paintings of his demesne in Wicklow. However, he suffered financially in Dublin and left for London in 1763, accompanied by his wife. Finally, after a period of hardship, he found success with paintings he had brought over from Dublin.
He became involved in establishing the Royal Academy, and his work was comparable to that of the Welsh artist Richard Wilson. He received several commissions to paint in Grand Houses around England and was associated with notable artists such as George Romney, George Stubs and Johann Zoffany. By this time, he was commanding £2000 a year but was living an extravagant lifestyle.
Edmund Burke, the now-successful politician in London, got Barret the post of Master Painter at Chelsea Hospital. However, he fell out badly with numerous renowned artists for unknown reasons and continued to live above his means before being declared bankrupt. He spent the last ten years of his life in Paddington and, after a spell of bad health, died in 1784.