Skull of a Skeleton with Burning CigaretteVincent van Gogh (1853 1890) is one of the most famous and influential painters of Western art history, a pioneer of the post impressionist period. His 1886 painting "Skull of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette" is likely a reference to his drawing class at the art academy in Antwerp, a standard exercise to help teach anatomy and physical proportions. In this work, van Gogh pokes fun at the activity by depicting a posed skeleton with a lit cigarette