1440x900 Vincent Van Gogh - Head Of A Skeleton ... Site

Van Gogh painted this while enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. While drawing skeletons was a mandatory exercise for anatomy, painting them was not part of the curriculum; many historians believe the added cigarette was a juvenile joke or a satirical protest against the boring, conservative academic routine.

The macabre subject matter may have been influenced by Belgian artist Félicien Rops or 17th-century Dutch painter Hercules Segers . Symbolic Interpretations 1440x900 Vincent Van Gogh - Head of a skeleton ...

Despite its humorous intent, the work demonstrates Van Gogh's strong command of human anatomy and his ability to capture light and form with minimal, precise brushstrokes. Van Gogh painted this while enrolled at the