Skull with Burning Cigarette - Van Gogh

Skull with Burning Cigarette (1885-1886) by Vincent van Gogh is a clear satire of the academic art system, especially his experience at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. At the academy, students had to draw and study skeletons to learn about anatomy, a practice Van Gogh deeply despised. The painting, featuring a skeleton smoking a cigarette, is a mockery and reflects his disdain for the academic formalities he felt stifled creativity and genuine inspiration. In fact, Van Gogh himself said after his time at the academy: "I have learned nothing there," which shows his frustration with the rigid and academic method.

The dark background of the painting connects with his more Baroque period in Nuenen. During this time, Van Gogh was still working in the style of Rubens, which can be seen in the use of dark palettes in the backgrounds and earthy tones. However, while experimenting with these somber colors, he was also beginning to explore brighter influences, such as the Japanese ukiyo-e style, which introduced lighter colors and more simplified forms into his work. This Baroque influence of Rubens in his works would later be absolutely decisive in impressive works like "Starry Night Over the Rhône," where while other Impressionist painters tried to capture daylight in their pigments, Vincent would depict the faint and bluish rays of nocturnal light on the canvas.
This painting, a mix of dark humor, critique of the academy, and his stylistic evolution, finally marks an important turning point in his transition towards Post-Impressionism.