By Lakshmi:

Who?  Anyone who is in The Hague or has the time to make a day trip to The Hague must view this amazing work of art.

What? Panorama Mesdag, a 360 degree, cylindrical landscape painting depicting the seaside in Scheveningen, was painted by the Dutch Artist H.W. Mesdag.

How? You can see this work at

BV Panorama Mesdag
Zeestraat 65
2518 AA  Den Haag
phone: 070 3644 544

Admission is 7 Euros for adults, and half price for kids.  It is free with the “Museunkaart”.

Why?  Prior to my visit, I had read about the painting in a letter written by my favorite artiste Vincent Van Gogh.  He had said, “…… it is a work that deserves all respect. It reminded me of a remark, ….. le seul défaut de ce tableau est de ne pas avoir de défaut. [This picture’s only fault is that it has no fault.].”

That was enough for me to make a day trip to The Hague to see this painting.  I was expecting to see  a beautiful landscape which would be similar to the many I had seen in Amsterdam.  Instead, when I walked into the museum where the painting is housed, we had to go up a tiny flight of stairs and when you alighted, what stood in front of you was 360 degrees of a beach landscape.  It was almost like I had walked into a beach scene from a century ago.  The painting, the objects, the lighting… every aspect of this painting was so real that I was just left speechless.  How on earth does an artist accomplish something as complex as this?  I have seen many a magnificent piece of art, but nothing that duplicates the drama and unexpected impact of the Panorama.

If your travels take you to the Netherlands, please do give this a look.  If you have no plans to travel, here’s a way to travel there virtually and experience the painting first hand.

http://panorama-mesdag.com/the-41-icons-of-panorama-mesdag/info?id=2398#