El zuavo

El zuavo es el tema de varios bocetos y pinturas realizados por Vincent van Gogh en Arlés, Francia, en junio de 1888. Las obras abarcan desde retratos al óleo en primer plano del zuavo hasta dibujos de cuerpo entero. Van Gogh produjo esta colección de obras durante el período que pasó en el sur de Francia, que muchos estudiosos consideran el apogeo de su carrera artística. ^{[ 1 ] : 11} Sin embargo, Van Gogh expresó frustración con respecto a su trabajo durante este tiempo.

El conocido cuadro al óleo de medio cuerpo, Le Zouave, se puede encontrar en Ámsterdam en el Museo Van Gogh junto con el dibujo a lápiz y pluma de caña de El zuavo sentado . ^{[ 2 ]}

Vincent Van Gogh viajó a Arles a principios de 1888. ^{[ 1 ] : 12} Su estancia en Arles fue impulsada por su deseo de establecer un “estudio del sur” donde artistas afines pudieran colaborar como “impresionistas de hoy”. ^{[ 3 ] [ 4 ]}  Van Gogh vivió en una casa amarilla que alquiló y que usó simultáneamente como estudio para posar a sus modelos, así como un espacio para su galería personal. ^{[ 1 ]} Su plan a largo plazo de establecer un grupo de artistas en Arles no tuvo éxito, y sus cartas buscando atraer a otros artistas a la ciudad del sur de Francia, como Paul Gauguin , muestran que van Gogh se sintió solo durante su estancia. ^{[ 4 ]}  A pesar de estos sentimientos de aislamiento, van Gogh produjo muchas piezas notables junto con las obras que representan al zuavo, incluyendo Dormitorio en Arles y Terraza de café por la noche .

El zuavo francés que sirvió de modelo para las obras de Van Gogh fue el teniente Milliet, quien se convirtió en un compañero cercano del artista. Van Gogh estaba entusiasmado por tener un modelo para un retrato, dado que a menudo sentía que no conocía a suficientes personas dispuestas a posar para él. A pesar de que Milliet accedió a posar, no siempre coincidían en cuestiones artísticas. De hecho, Milliet consideraba a Van Gogh bastante impaciente y brusco. Además, los retratos de Van Gogh no eran del agrado del teniente, pero reconoció que le convenía más guardar silencio que expresar su descontento. ^{[ 4 ] : 230–231} 

The collection of pieces capturing the Zouave highlight the range of adopted techniques and artistic experiments that van Gogh utilized during his time in southern France. In a letter to his fellow artist friend Gauguin, van Gogh expressed his desire to use a reduced color palette in order to express poetic ideas.^[4] In a letter to his brother, he revealed his wish to use "the actual radiance and vibrations of our colorings" to portray his subjects as almost ethereal.^[4]  This approach is evident particularly in the half-length portrait, Le Zouave (half-figure). The painting presents a tanned man through bright colors he called a "savage combination of incongruous tones." The Zouave's uniform is 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. The use of these bright reds, blues, greens and whites is also found in variations of the portrait such as The Seated Zouave (oil on canvas).^[5][6]

Van Gogh's limited color palette was not his only technical innovation in these works. The series of the Zouave also points to the range of artistic influences from different parts of the world that van Gogh drew inspiration from. For example, he created a pencil and reed-pen drawing of the Zouave shows signs of Japanese influence.^[4]  Through the usage of reed pens combined with pencil, generally associated with Japanese artists, van Gogh achieved a textured and intricate portrayal of the Zouave's already elaborate uniform. It is unclear when this particular drawing was produced, though it is assumed to be around the same time as the paintings of the Zouave.^[1]

Van Gogh was not happy with the painting and described it as "ugly and unsuccessful,” but he thought the challenge might expand his artistic range. A possible factor that could have contributed to his dissatisfaction was the conditions during which he made this collection of portraits. In late June, during the exact days van Gogh created the pieces featuring the Zouave, Arles had torrential rainstorms for that lasted over three days straight. On June 23, van Gogh wrote a letter to his fellow artist comrade, Emile Bernard, exclaiming he was exhausted, suggesting that his dissatisfaction for his paintings was perhaps influenced by the horrid weather conditions in which he produced them in addition to his feelings of loneliness.^[7]

Yet, in a letter to his brother, van Gogh wrote "I am very dissatisfied with what I have been doing lately, because it is very ugly. But all the same, figure is interesting me more than landscape," which further suggests his stubborn dedication and enchantment in the creation of the portraits of the Zouave.^[1]:106

• 
  The Seated Zouave, June 1888, Private collection (F424)
• 
  The Zouave, watercolor, 1888, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (F1482)

• List of works by Vincent van Gogh

• 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)