Panorama Mesdag – The Netherlands’ Biggest Painting

Helma Doorman (PR & Communication) and Peter Provoost (Tour Guide & Webmaster) welcomed me into the museum with open arms. I had never explored the Panorama Mesdag and had no idea what to expect. Sure, I would be stepping into the Netherlands’ largest painting, but what was this like and how would I experience it?

In 1881 Vincent van Gogh was quoted having said the following, “The Mesdag Panorama is the most beautiful sensation of my life. It has just one tiny flaw and that is its flawlessness.” Van Gogh was right; the painting really does give one an amazing sensation of freedom, nature and tranquility. It is transfixing and soothing at the same time.

Peter Provoost, my tour guide for my duration at the museum, is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the panorama, the various exhibitions and the entire history of the museum.

Peter explained to me that Panorama Mesdag dates from the 19th century – a massive cylindrical canvas that you step into the centre of. It is 14 metres in height and 120 in circumference. Scheveningen (the beach in The Hague, Netherlands) is depicted as a village and that it most certainly was at the time of painting. I tried to look out for the well-known Kurhaus (a noteworthy landmark of Scheveningen today), but the painting was done before the existance of the Kurhaus. There are, however, many other identifiable landmarks and if you live in The Hague you will easily be able to spot them.

Hendrik Willem Mesdag of The Hague School painted the panorama together with six painters painting at any given time. These were people he knew would help him complete the job in the limited time he had to finish it (four months in fact – excluding the time taken on preparatory sketches and planning).

Today the Panorama Mesdag is the oldest 19th century panorama in the world and it remains an important part of Dutch culture. The 360 degree illusion of an unlimited view of Scheveningen is unlike any other museum experience. This is not a two-dimentional painting on a wall. Here you are an active participant of the painted scene.

In fact, at one point during our tour, Peter ‘entered the painting’, jumping over the wooden barrier to demonstrate the optical illusion Mesdag created. This was most fascinating. Prior to entering the painting, Peter asked me how big I thought the wooden clog was in the distance and how far it actually appears to be. He then hopped over the barrier (to the amusement of the other museum visitors), walked on the real sand and objects laid out by Mesdag, towards the shoe (and canvas itself) and picked it up. This was very entertaining as you begin to realise that although the painting gives an incredible illusion of an expanse beach area, the canvas itself is in fact quite close to you as the viewer.

Furthermore, Peter excitedly told me that depending on actual weather conditions outside, the tones of the painting appear to change too. This is because there is a lot of natural light coming in through the building. So on a very sunny day the painting appears to have undertones of orange and on duller days it appears more grey.

He also took me on an insider tour of the base of the painting. Here I got to see how massive the painting really is and how it was put together. From below you can see just how tricky it must have been to paint at such an angle. And because of the short four-month deadline Mesdag had, this means there are spaces at the bottom which (out of view from the visitor up top) are unpainted.

The insider tour gave me a great understanding of the creation of the Panorama Mesdag. There is a little wooden path that circles the bottom of the painting and there is also a kind of railway track which was used in the restoration and creation.

So how how exactly did Mesdag (and his other painters) paint this wonderful creation and obtain the correct proportions? I was quite perplexed to discover that he in fact stood with a sort of glass bowl on his head in the centre of the painting. On the glass bowl an engraved illustration of the layout of the panorama was present (this illustration was conducted whilst on the beach itself and whilst doing the preparatory work for the painting). He used this illustration in the glass to gain perspective in a mathematical way. In this manner, he could really map out the location of the beach and village scene in a more acturate way. By standing under the glass bowl he knew exactly where things were to be located on the canvas.

Mesdag even created a hole in the canvas for the inclusion of some real grass (see above to the left of the equipment). This piece of grass is demonstrative of Mesdag’s ability to make the panorama even more real and this is also why he included real sand around the canvas to further that illusion.

The Panorama Mesdag is a work of art you do not want to miss out on, especially if you are familiar with The Hague and with Scheveningen. This is not just a painting; it is a 360 degree experience that is so real – it almost lives, breathes and captivates you from the very moment you enter it.

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I wish to thank Helma Doorman and Peter Provoost from Panorama Mesdag Museum for the fantastic tour and time I spent at the museum. It was an unforgettable experience and I hope to visit again soon.