Hendrik Willem Mesdag artwork • watercolour • drawing • previously for sale Sunset at sea; verso: wooded path

H.W. Mesdag was the seascape painter of The Hague School. He chose the painting profession relatively late in life. Having first lived in Oosterbeek and Brussels he settled in The Hague in 1869, where he was instantly captivated by the beach, sea and lives of the fishermen in nearby Scheveningen. Using quick, informal brushstrokes and an infinite variety of browns, golds and greys he applied these motifs to the canvas. Mesdag produced a large body of work, as if wanting to make up for his lost time. His work was very popular in France and won awards at the Paris Salon on more than one occasion.