Vincent van Gogh: The Seated Zouave (1888)
A painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Vincent liked nothing more than working with models but he rarely found people who were willing to pose for him. In June 1888, Van Gogh had a stroke of luck. He finally found someone who was willing to sit for a portrait. It was an infantryman from the elite corps known as the Zouaves. Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army (and later also in other armies) serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa. The word "Zouave" is a French-language derivative of Zouaouas; the original name of the Kabyle Berbers recruited for French service. This is one of the paintings that he made of him. Painting from 1888.