Antwerp, Belgium November 1885-March 1886

Although feeling confident with his talents and the techniques he had developed and honed over five difficult years, Vincent came to the realization that he needed to keep up with what was going on in the art world and obtain some more formal training, so to that end, he decided to move to Antwerp in November 1885 to attend the Antwerp Academy. He bristled under the narrow and rigid approach of the instructors, and he had no patience for their by-the-book academia. Just as he had been in his theological studies, he was more interested in hands-on learning. The boldness of his methods was denigrated, and just at the time he decided to move to Paris, he was demoted to the beginners’ class, probably without being aware of it.

Skull with Burning Cigarette - Winter 1885/1886