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El Greco, View of Toledo, ca. 1599–1600
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Room 3

View of Toledo

El Grecoca. 1599–1600Oil on canvas121.3 × 108.6 cm

The story of this room

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Open the door and you almost expect a gust of wind. Half the sky is a churning mass of dark blue-green cloud, and white light tears through the gaps. Leo pulls his beret down tight. No umbrella needed, he says. This storm stays inside the frame.

Start at the upper right. A gray city sits on top of the hill. The sharp spire is the bell tower of Toledo Cathedral. The big square block to its right is the Alcázar, the fortress that crowns the town. The buildings do not look like stone. They glow pale, as if someone painted them with moonlight. I always feel this city could lift off the hill and float away.

Now drop down to the middle. A stone bridge with two arches crosses the river. That is the Alcántara Bridge over the Tagus. On the pale road to its left, tiny people walk in a line, each one smaller than a fingernail. Below, in the river itself, more little figures stand holding long poles. A storm is coming, and everyone keeps working.

Last, look into the lower right corner. On a rock, someone has written a line of brown script. It is the painter's signature, in Greek letters. Leo opens his notebook and tries to copy it, then tilts his head. Harder than mirror writing, he admits.

El Greco simply means "the Greek." He was born on the island of Crete, where he first trained as a painter of icons. He worked in Venice and Rome, then settled in Toledo, Spain. He lived there until his death in 1614. He painted this view around 1599 to 1600.

He hardly ever painted landscapes. This is one of only two that survive. And he did not copy Toledo exactly. He is generally thought to have moved some buildings around to suit the picture. It is the city as he felt it, more than the city as a map would show it. His strange colors and restless energy are why he is often grouped with the Mannerists.

Next, we travel north to Holland. The storm passes, and in a dark room a man stands lost in thought.

Reading the picture

5 places to look closer

  1. Begin with the sky. Gray clouds churn across patches of blue, and streaks of white paint flash where the brush dragged. The sky is dark, yet the grass below glows a strange, bright green. That clash makes the whole scene feel as if it is holding its breath.

  2. Zoom in on the buildings on the hilltop. The tall, pointed tower belongs to Toledo Cathedral, and the big square block to the right is the Alcázar, a fortress palace. They catch a pale, ghostly light against the dark.

  3. Lower down, just left of center, an arched bridge spans the valley. This is the Alcántara Bridge over the Tagus River. Long strokes of white inside the arches make light seem to slide across the stone. Towers and walls climb up beside it.

  4. Now go down to the river. On the dark bank stand a few people no bigger than a fingertip. Near them, two small buildings with pointed roofs sit at the water's edge. Under that enormous sky, people look very small indeed.

  5. Zoom into the bottom right corner. On a pale patch like a rock, fine handwriting runs across the paint. It is the painter's signature in Greek letters. Born on Crete, El Greco usually signed his real name, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, in Greek.