Arthur Devis was a British Renaissance and Rococo painter. He was the eldest son of Anthony Devis, who was a member of Lancashire City Council. Presumably Arthur Devis was able to become a pupil of the Flemish painter Peter Tillemans through his father's connections. Devis finished his apprenticeship with Tillemans in London and then became his assistant. Under Tillemans' supervision, Devis painted mainly landscapes and cityscapes. He copied the works of Italian artists like Pannini and Marco Ricci. When Tillemans retired, Devis returned to his home town of Lancashire at the age of about 21. One of his first known commissions was also a landscape painting, which he completed at the age of 23. Devis switched from landscape paintings to portraits a few years later. The reason for this could be the financial attractiveness of this genre. Through his father's connections, Devis had good contacts with the wealthy and especially pro-Jacobite families around the Lancashire region.
At the age of 26 Devis returned to London and opened his own studio. He became famous especially for his conversation pieces. These are portraits of several people apparently talking to each other. Although his main focus was on portraits, the background still played a role. He often painted his clients in front of a landscape background, which he adopted very faithfully. For interiors, on the other hand, he almost always kept to his imagination. His style and good connections made him a sought-after artist in London and he had many commissions in the years to come. Devis reached the peak of his career at the age of 36. In the following ten years he had the most commissions. At 48 he became president of the Society of Artists of Great Britain, where he occasionally exhibited some of his work. However, Devis never tried to exhibit or become a member of the Royal Academy.
Already a few years before his election as president of the Society of Artists, Devis was hardly of importance as a portrait painter. For his style had gone out of fashion in the meantime. His fame was contested by artists like Johann Zaffony and Joshua Reynolds and their works. Due to a lack of commissions, Devis finally had to accept restoration work in order to make ends meet. However, he also earned very well from this work. For example, he received around 1000 pounds for the restoration of some works by the British painter James Thornhill. Devis finally sold all his paintings when he was 71 years old to retire. He moved to Brighton and died there four years later. Devis was married to Elizabeth Faulkner. The couple produced 22 children, but only six of them reached adulthood. Two of his sons, Thomas Anthony Devis and Arthur William Devis also became painters. His half-brother Anthony Devis was also a well-known painter.
Arthur Devis was a British Renaissance and Rococo painter. He was the eldest son of Anthony Devis, who was a member of Lancashire City Council. Presumably Arthur Devis was able to become a pupil of the Flemish painter Peter Tillemans through his father's connections. Devis finished his apprenticeship with Tillemans in London and then became his assistant. Under Tillemans' supervision, Devis painted mainly landscapes and cityscapes. He copied the works of Italian artists like Pannini and Marco Ricci. When Tillemans retired, Devis returned to his home town of Lancashire at the age of about 21. One of his first known commissions was also a landscape painting, which he completed at the age of 23. Devis switched from landscape paintings to portraits a few years later. The reason for this could be the financial attractiveness of this genre. Through his father's connections, Devis had good contacts with the wealthy and especially pro-Jacobite families around the Lancashire region.
At the age of 26 Devis returned to London and opened his own studio. He became famous especially for his conversation pieces. These are portraits of several people apparently talking to each other. Although his main focus was on portraits, the background still played a role. He often painted his clients in front of a landscape background, which he adopted very faithfully. For interiors, on the other hand, he almost always kept to his imagination. His style and good connections made him a sought-after artist in London and he had many commissions in the years to come. Devis reached the peak of his career at the age of 36. In the following ten years he had the most commissions. At 48 he became president of the Society of Artists of Great Britain, where he occasionally exhibited some of his work. However, Devis never tried to exhibit or become a member of the Royal Academy.
Already a few years before his election as president of the Society of Artists, Devis was hardly of importance as a portrait painter. For his style had gone out of fashion in the meantime. His fame was contested by artists like Johann Zaffony and Joshua Reynolds and their works. Due to a lack of commissions, Devis finally had to accept restoration work in order to make ends meet. However, he also earned very well from this work. For example, he received around 1000 pounds for the restoration of some works by the British painter James Thornhill. Devis finally sold all his paintings when he was 71 years old to retire. He moved to Brighton and died there four years later. Devis was married to Elizabeth Faulkner. The couple produced 22 children, but only six of them reached adulthood. Two of his sons, Thomas Anthony Devis and Arthur William Devis also became painters. His half-brother Anthony Devis was also a well-known painter.
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