Van Gogh studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1886.
He moved from Nuenen to Antwerp in November 1885, after deciding that formal artistic training and access to museums could strengthen his work. In January 1886, he matriculated in painting and drawing at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he attended classes involving plaster models and antique studies.
The experience was brief and difficult. Van Gogh's unconventional approach clashed with the academy's academic emphasis on precise contour, classical proportion, and disciplined line. He also struggled with poor health, inadequate food, heavy smoking, and financial hardship. A later conflict with drawing instructor Eugène Siberdt became part of the story of his departure, although the popular claim that Siberdt formally expelled him is not supported by the academy's records.
Van Gogh left Antwerp for Paris in March 1886 and moved in with his brother Theo. There he encountered Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, Japanese prints, and a much brighter palette. Antwerp was therefore an important bridge between his dark Dutch period and the colorful style that emerged in France.