Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette

We're switching things up again today to look at a painting - in this case one of Vincent Van Gogh's most provocative works, Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette. Maggie's got all the historical and academic context ready to go and Cam's got a laundry list of intriguing, baseless ideas - this is still Second Breakfast. We discuss the painting as a commentary / reaction to the art world's constant, endless demands for naturalism, and then look for signs of VGV's process and develop a theory about when the cigarette was added and what that might mean for it's overall message. We think the immediate dark humor of the piece is masking a harsher, more nuanced statement about technique and innovation. High Resolution image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Head_of_a_skeleton_with_a_burning_cigarette_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Instagram: @secondbreakfastpod Feedback: [email protected]