Plate 57: Scarlet Macaw with Two Smaller Green Parrots
1576
gouache
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1576
gouache
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This painting shows a bright red macaw perched on a branch with two small green parrots beside it. The colors pop against a plain white background. Every feather looks real, even the soft shadows under the macaw’s wings. Joris Hoefnagel made this in 1576, over 450 years ago. He worked in watercolor, layering colors to make them glow. Artists still study how he mixed gold paint for the macaw’s details. Check out another Hoefnagel, Joris at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
