El Greco's "View of Toledo"

View of Toledo This piece, an oil on canvas painted in 1541 by El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulous) evokes strong emotions. It shows a storm overhead, with very little light breaking through the clouds. However, the city below is illuminated. In the top right corner, there is an urbanized city, with a Gothic cathedral. In the bottom left corner, there is a scene of daily life, people working at a river. These people are barely more that …

…not titled as to being at night, or in a storm, which makes it even more interesting. It begs the question "Why does Toledo look like this?" The dark and furious sky makes it seem almost inevitable that some harm will come to this small city. However, the city itself feels protected and safe. This is an amazing painting, one that uses light, weather and location to re-enact that eerie moment right before a storm.