Van Gogh produced this collection of pieces during the period he spent in southern France, which many scholars regard as the zenith of his artistic career.

[4] Despite these feelings of isolation, van Gogh produced many notable pieces alongside the works featuring the Zouave, including Bedroom in Arles and Café Terrace at Night.

[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.

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.

[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.

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.