This panorama, the forerunner of cinema, presents an incredible 360-degree view of the old fishing village of Scheveningen in 1880
In this museum, you can admire Panorama Mesdag, an edifying collective work by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. This work is typical of the painting tradition in The Hague: a circular canvas, 14 m high and 120 m in circumference, set in a rotunda. It shows a view of the old fishing village of Scheveningen in 1881. The effect is all the more fascinating in that the Panorama enjoys a singular luminosity thanks to a glass roof whose light is absorbed and reflected by large white canvases, avoiding backlighting and unfortunate reflections. The painter Vincent van Gogh, present at the Panorama's opening, sighed: "There's only one fault, and that's that it's faultless".
Visionary artist, collector, businessman, important member of the Hague School and precursor of Impressionism, Hendrik Mesdag did not wish to bequeath his panorama to the state, fearing that it would soon be threatened with closure. The work and adjoining museum are still owned and managed by the family. An audio commentary explains the genesis of the painting and its significance. A guided tour behind the scenes of the panorama is also available on request, allowing visitors to walk just a few meters from the canvas and observe some funny details (a straw box, for example, is glued to the canvas). A beautiful, large hall and a restaurant have been added. Around 3 temporary exhibitions are organized each year.
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