early life and training maria aurélia martins de sousa, a renowned portuguese painter, was born on june 13, 1866, in valparaíso, chile. she was the fourth of seven children to portuguese emigrants antónio martins de sousa and olinda peres. the family's nomadic lifestyle, which included stints in brazil and chile, eventually led them to settle in porto, portugal in 1869, when maria was just three years old. at the age of sixteen, maria began her artistic journey under the guidance of antónio da costa lima, marking the inception of her self-portrait series. her subsequent studies at the fine-ar…