This grinning skeleton with a lit cigarette dangling from its bony jaws is a cheeky youthful rebellion. Painted by Van Gogh in early 1886 during his time at the Antwerp Academy, the work shows his solid grasp of human anatomy.
While drawing skeletons was a routine academic exercise, painting one, especially with a cigarette, was far from standard. He likely created this small irreverent canvas on his own time, squeezed in between or after classes, as a quiet act of mischief amid the rigors of formal training.
