Arthur Devis (1712 - 1787)

Arthur Devis

Arthur Devis was a British portrait painter.

Devis is best known for his portraits of local gentry and their families. The people Devis depicts look slightly embellished, in some ways even puppet-like, living in a perfectly beautiful world. Devis's paintings have become of interest to current social historians because most of his customers were members of the new prosperous middle class - merchants and rural landowners. Toward the end of his life, the artist's popularity began to wane as his style was considered old-fashioned.

One of Devis's sons, Arthur William Devis, also became an artist.