Taco Mesdag (; Groningen, 21 September 1829Den Haag, 4 August 1902) was a Dutch banker and painter. Mesdag, son of the banker Klaas Mesdag and Johanna Willemina, worked with his younger brother Henry in the banking business of his family. Like his brother Hendrik Mesdag, he eventually also chose to paint as a profession. Together they played an important part in the

Hague School The Hague School () is a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890. Their work was heavily influenced by the realist painters of the French Barbizon school. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of re ...

Pulchri Studio Pulchri Studio (Latin language, Latin:"For the study of beauty") is a Dutch art society, art institution and art studio based in The Hague ('s-Gravenhage), Netherlands. This institute began in 1847 at the home of painter Netherlandse kunstschil ...

, where Hendrik served as president and Taco as treasurer. He was taught by

Paul Gabriël Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël or Paul Gabriël (5 July 1828 – 23 August 1903) was a painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and etcher who belonged to the Hague School. Biography Gabriël was born in Amsterdam, the son of the sculptor and paint ...

, among others. Mesdag is best known as the painter of the landscape of Drenthe. Much of his work was donated by his widow,

Geesje Mesdag-van Calcar Geesje Mesdag-van Calcar (1850–1936) was a Dutch painter. She is known for her landscape, flower, and genre paintings. Biography Mesdag-van Calcar was born 2 July 1850 in Hoogezand. She attended the Academie Minerva in Groningen She also studi ...

, to the

Groninger Museum The Groninger Museum () is an art museum in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The museum exhibits modern and contemporary art of local, national, and international artists. The museum opened in 1874. The current post-modernist building c ...

. On the Internet, many of his works are displayed in the Webmuseum Mesdagvancalcar.

Sources

* Dutch Wikipedia Article
Biography of Taco Mesdag at the Webmuseum Mesdagvancalcar
*Bryan, Michael: ''Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mesdag, Taco 1829 births 1902 deaths 19th-century Dutch painters Dutch male painters Hague School Painters from Groningen 19th-century Dutch male artists