In July, Steve and I stayed a weekend in The Hague in the Netherlands. One of our activities was Panorama Mesdag.

‘Panorama Mesdag‘, officially ‘Panorama of Scheveningen‘ is a panorama by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. Housed in a purpose-built museum, the panorama is a cylindrical painting (also known as a cyclorama) more than 14 metres high and about 40 metres in diameter (120 metres in circumference).

From an observation gallery in the centre of the room the cylindrical perspective creates the illusion that the viewer is on a high sand dune overlooking the sea, beaches and village of Scheveningen in the late 19th century.

A foreground of fake terrain around the viewing gallery hides the base of the painting and makes the illusion more convincing.

What to expect?

If the cyclorama is the main course, some other exhibition of photography, tourism and beach life are the appetizers and desserts. You won’t spend hours inside, but the panorama is impressive.

Photos don’t do justice to the depth and perspective of the artwork.