Shen & Zhao and Pang & Tong also come to mind for me.
More so Shen/Zhao than Pang/Tong for me. IMO Pang/Tong always had an innate artistic quality, which is their case was soft and romantic. Also, they may have more potential to grow artistically since they weren't the first pair to be put in the international spotlight. And they trained on their own with Tong as coach for some time. Although this situation had the disadvantage of P/T not having the backing of the Federation or guidance of a coach, it did accord them a lot of freedom.
OTOH, Shen/Zhao entered the international scene at a time when China was closed off from outside influence or help, and skaters were required to skate to Chinese music. I believe that situation changed shortly afterwards, and could even be wrong and it might have changed a bit earlier. But I do remember a commentator saying that the Chinese pairs were limited because they didn't have the inspiration of the opera, like Russian skaters do, or popular culture, like western skaters do. So, presumably they were limited to Chinese music and themes.
Shen/Zhao moved up the ranks quickly because they were acrobatic and athletic, but were constantly criticized for their lack of artistry. While I agree that they were diamonds in the rough, I found those criticisms a bit heavy handed. They were so exciting to watch in the early years of their career, and the same is not true of a lot of young pairs. I know I am in a minority, but I would have given them the 1999 World Champion title over B/S.
I remember hearing that they started holding hands at some point to build a connection with each other. The rest is history.
Their transformation on the ice with
Turandot in 2003 remains my favorite moment in FS ever. Slam dunk.
And another skater who evolved from athlete to artist IMO is Kevin Reynolds. Rock'n'roll proved to be the right vehicle for him.
Sui and Han are the most dramatic example I've ever seen. Like night and day.
I always thought they had strong artistry. From the first time I saw them, when they skated that cowboy program - which was a real hoot IMO.