Hendrik Willem Mesdag

Hendrik Willem Mesdag , 1831-1915, Dutch marine painter. He gave up banking at 35 to study painting. He later lived at The Hague and was known as a painter and wealthy patron of the arts. He presented to the nation his fine collection, containing many paintings of the Barbizon school, together with a building to house it—Mesdag Museum, The Hague. His simple and realistic marine paintings are found in many Dutch galleries. The Return of the Fishing Boats (The Hague) is characteristic.

Mesdag, Hendrik Willem (1831–1915). Dutch painter and collector. He abandoned the family profession of banking in 1866 and became one of the leading artists of the Hague School, particularly noted for his beach and sea scenes. His best-known work is the vast panorama (1881) of the fishing village of Scheveningen—about 120 m (400 ft) in circumference—housed in a specially designed building in The Hague. The Mesdag Museum, in the same city, contains his excellent collection of paintings, rich in works by members of the Barbizon and Hague Schools, which he presented to the nation in 1903.

Mesdag, Hendrik Willem (b Groningen, 23 Feb. 1831; d The Hague, 10 July 1915). Dutch painter and collector. He abandoned the family profession of banking in 1866 and became one of the leading artists of the Hague School, particularly noted for his beach and sea scenes. His best-known work is the vast panorama (1881) of the fishing village of Scheveningen—about 120 m (400 ft) in circumference—housed in a specially designed building in The Hague. The Mesdag Museum, in the same city, contains his excellent collection of paintings, rich in works by members of the Barbizon and Hague Schools, which he presented to the nation in 1903.