Elements of Art

For this assignment, I chose to analyze the oil painting View of Toledo, created by Greek painter El Greco ("The Greek"). I actually had never once heard or viewed this painting prior to this assignment; however, this artwork immediately caught my attention with how it seemed to capture such a moment in time and preserved it through an illustration.

The Artist and the Painting’s Origin

Born Doménikos Theotokópoulos, El Greco was born on the island of Crete in Greece in 1541, and only little is known of his childhood except for the detail that he began training to be an artist at a young age. Later in life, his intense commitment to developing his artistic abilities and understanding guided him to Spain in 1577, where he experiences an artistic period that coincides with his eventual conversion to Catholicism. And although it is not fully certain, it is believed that El Greco had the opportunity to become King Phillips V's court painter, which was his biggest dream; however, his presented works received negative responses and he was dismissed. In 1614, while working on a commission, El Greco passed away due to falling ill.

Originally titled Vista De Toledo, this famous landscape portrait was created between 1599-1600 in Toledo, Spain, where El Greco resided and worked for most of his life. In his painting, El Greco did not accurately document all the building exact locations, which can describe that accuracy was not his primary intention, but rather documenting an illustrated description of his beloved city of Toledo.

Color and Tone

When it comes to the colors of the painting, El Greco primarily emphasizes the dramatic atmosphere with his use of somber colors around his presentation of his view of Toledo (not the title). The composition of the painting consists heavily of earthy tones, such as greens, blues, whites, and browns, but in comparison, we can see the city's disparity with its unnaturalistic color of grey.

In the View of Toledo, there is a very strong contrast of lightness and darkness within the painting, as El Greco uses tone to portray some future menacing weather above the city. The contrast is more heavily noticeable in the sky directly above Toledo, where the darkest shades of the sky are right around the city in comparison to lightness is peeking through the clouds with the use of lighter shades).

Line & Form

When it comes to the painting's line composition, El Greco uses lines to convey several visual elements. A very noticeable use of linework is his emphasis on depth and distance, where El Greco presents how far the city of Toledo is in comparison to the location he was painting from. He uses horizontal lines on the hills leading towards Toledo to suggest the far distance, and uses vertical lines on the trees for movement and to define the city's powerful presence. Furthermore, with El Greco's repetition of continuous curving lines, our eyes are naturally are guided towards the stream of water in the center of the painting.

The View of Toledo is a representational two-dimensional painting.

Natural Vertical Curves

Guides Eyes Inwards

Shape

Throughout the View of Toledo, there are several different shapes used to create a distinct separation between the city of Toledo and the natural environment. While the use of organic shapes often tends to convey a sense of softness and fluidity, El Greco's use of the shape in his skyline creates a more restless atmosphere across the upper area, where only the small openings in the sky offer slight ease. For Toledo, El Greco uses various straight-lined geometric shapes for the semi-accurate building structures, which can portray the city's stability and strength from a distance. As the for hills' that Toledo sits upon, El Greco overlaps elliptical grassy mounds to create a shift in perspective, making it seem as if the city was looming over us from far away.

         

Organic shapes

Geometric shapes

Texture

In his painting, El Greco utilizes the method of an optical texture to define both the harshness and the softness of the environment surrounding Toledo within his painting. To illustrate such textures, his variety with his paint strokes and choice of using contrasting colors allows him to create a realistic illusion of the natural characteristics. On the hill below, we see the lighter color hues contrasting with darker shades of other earthy tones to emphasize shadows and any movement. For example, the different colored grass patches, the harsh movement of the river flow, and the direction of leaves directions on the bushes and trees.

Upwards curves convey free natural movement

Sometimes, if I glance at the painting I often feel as there is some sort of strong wind because of El Greco's texture approach. Especially with the sky's appearance of a potential upcoming storm.

Although it may appear too dramatic or gloomy, I actually would like to own a small copy of this painting. Plus, it's not just a landscape painting solely comprised of nature and a city, but if you look really close at the fine details, you can see groups of people! There is one group to the left of the bridge, and there is a group of horsemen attempting to cross the river near the center of the painting.

Works Cited:

“El Greco, View of Toledo.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/spain-15th-16th-century/xa6688040:16th-century-spain/a/el-greco-view-of-toledo.

“El Greco Biography, Life & Quotes.” The Art Story, m.theartstory.org/artist/el-greco/life-and-legacy/.

Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436575.

“View of Toledo (1595-1600).” View of Toledo, El Greco: Analysis, www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/view-of-toledo.htm.