The Green Parrot

Van Gogh's The Green Parrot from 1886, painted during his Paris period, depicts a caged parrot — possibly observed in one of Paris's cafés or shops where such exotic birds were common — with his characteristic directness of observation. The parrot's vivid green plumage provided chromatic material well suited to his developing Impressionist palette, and the bird as a subject connects to both the naturalist tradition and the Parisian taste for exotic decorative objects. The work is currently in a private collection or unlocated.

The parrot's green plumage is rendered with Van Gogh's developing Impressionist palette — varied greens capturing the specific quality of the bird's feathers. The cage structure provides geometric framing around the organic form of the bird. His brushwork distinguishes the soft feathers from the hard wire of the cage with appropriate variation in stroke.