hendrik willem mesdag was a dutch marine painter.he was born in groningen, the son of the banker klaas mesdag and his wife johanna wilhelmina van giffen. mesdag was encouraged by his father, an amateur painter, to study art. he married sina van houten in 1856, and when they inherited a fortune from her father, mesdag retired from banking at the age of 35 to pursue a career as a painter.he studied in brussels with willem roelofs and in…