''The Zouave'' is the subject of several sketches and paintings made by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

in Arles. Van Gogh was excited to have a model for a portrait, and painted two of the

Zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

soldier in June 1888. Van Gogh described him as a boy, though he is portrayed as older, with a small face, large neck and intense eyes. A half-length portrait, ''Le Zouave (half-figure)'', was made of the tanned man with bright colors he called a "savage combination of incongruous tones". The Zouave's uniform was blue with red-orange braids, a red cap and two yellow stars on his chest, all placed against the background of a green door and orange bricks. Van Gogh was not happy with the painting and described it as "ugly and unsuccessful", but thought the challenge might expand his artistic range. He made a further drawing, with which he was not particularly pleased, and a painting ''Le Zouave'' of the soldier against a white wall. File:Vincent Willem van Gogh 026.jpg, ''Le Zouave'', June 1888, Private collection (F424) File:Van Gogh - Der Zuave (Halbfigur)1.jpeg, ''The Zouave'', watercolor, 1888,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York (F1482)

References

External links

''Van Gogh, paintings and drawings: a special loan exhibition''
a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on The Zouave (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zouave, The 1888 paintings Collections of the Van Gogh Museum Paintings of Arles by Vincent van Gogh Paintings by Vincent van Gogh