Thomas Jacques Somerscales Biography

The nineteenth-century British painter Thomas Jacques Somerscales began his career not as an artist but as a naval teacher at sea. However a severe bout with malaria forced him to abandon the sea and move to Chile in 1869 where he secured a teaching position at the prestigious MacKay Academy. Serendipitously he discovered his true calling during his prolonged sojourn in South America. Somerscales became a noted painter of land- and seascapes and is today considered Valparaiso's most famous painter. Although virtually self-taught, Somerscales's paintings reveal the hands of an able draftsman coupled with an exquisite use of light, color and perspective.