Page 1 / 1
Wright Barker was an artist who inspired the English high society in the 19th century with his animal paintings and nature scenes. He was not part of the nobility, but a simple man without title and artistic training. Nevertheless, in the course of his career he managed to impress high-born lords and ladies with his art. Even King Edward VII commissioned a painting of his dog from him. Barker had an amazing talent for depicting animals and natural scenes vividly and realistically. He was known for his strong brushwork, vibrant colors, and for his ability to convincingly capture the personalities of animals and people.
Where Barker learned to paint is a mystery to art historians. The son of textile workers, he followed in his parents' footsteps for many years. Barker worked in a factory as a teenager, rarely left his hometown, and lived a low-key life. No one would have assumed in his youth that he would one day shake hands with the king and come to moderate wealth. But as a young man, he quit his job, left the small town where he had lived all his life, and pursued his dream. Factory floors and machinery were not for him. What really excited Barker was the beauty of nature and art. In the 1890s, he began to seriously explore his passion for painting and sold his first paintings of landscapes and animals.
During this early period of his career, Barker met his wife, Ellen Mary. Her father owned a homestead and some land. This allowed Barker to become better acquainted with the rural life that so fascinated him and to study it daily. Many of his nature and animal scenes were probably created on this land. They show horses and workers plowing the fields, sheep and dogs in sunny fields, and many other subjects depicting idyllic life in English villages. Barker's style and the ease with which he brought the figures to life clearly show how much he loved the landscape, people and animals there. Each painting seems romantic and like something out of a dream. The colors are intense and bright, the landscapes in the background are always green and full of life. Idealism and joy resonate in each of his paintings. It was precisely these stylistic devices that delighted the public and eventually the English aristocracy. In his later career, he was commissioned to depict the animals and hunting scenes of politicians and aristocratic families. But he did not only make a name for himself with nature painting: One particularly impressive painting by Barker is his interpretation of Circe - an ancient Greek goddess whom he depicted surrounded by lions. To this day, his versatile artworks can be found in collections and English museums, enchanting the public with their light, natural charm.
Wright Barker was an artist who inspired the English high society in the 19th century with his animal paintings and nature scenes. He was not part of the nobility, but a simple man without title and artistic training. Nevertheless, in the course of his career he managed to impress high-born lords and ladies with his art. Even King Edward VII commissioned a painting of his dog from him. Barker had an amazing talent for depicting animals and natural scenes vividly and realistically. He was known for his strong brushwork, vibrant colors, and for his ability to convincingly capture the personalities of animals and people.
Where Barker learned to paint is a mystery to art historians. The son of textile workers, he followed in his parents' footsteps for many years. Barker worked in a factory as a teenager, rarely left his hometown, and lived a low-key life. No one would have assumed in his youth that he would one day shake hands with the king and come to moderate wealth. But as a young man, he quit his job, left the small town where he had lived all his life, and pursued his dream. Factory floors and machinery were not for him. What really excited Barker was the beauty of nature and art. In the 1890s, he began to seriously explore his passion for painting and sold his first paintings of landscapes and animals.
During this early period of his career, Barker met his wife, Ellen Mary. Her father owned a homestead and some land. This allowed Barker to become better acquainted with the rural life that so fascinated him and to study it daily. Many of his nature and animal scenes were probably created on this land. They show horses and workers plowing the fields, sheep and dogs in sunny fields, and many other subjects depicting idyllic life in English villages. Barker's style and the ease with which he brought the figures to life clearly show how much he loved the landscape, people and animals there. Each painting seems romantic and like something out of a dream. The colors are intense and bright, the landscapes in the background are always green and full of life. Idealism and joy resonate in each of his paintings. It was precisely these stylistic devices that delighted the public and eventually the English aristocracy. In his later career, he was commissioned to depict the animals and hunting scenes of politicians and aristocratic families. But he did not only make a name for himself with nature painting: One particularly impressive painting by Barker is his interpretation of Circe - an ancient Greek goddess whom he depicted surrounded by lions. To this day, his versatile artworks can be found in collections and English museums, enchanting the public with their light, natural charm.