Symbolism The city of Toledo is at the very top of the hill in View of Toledo. Art historian, Walter Liedtke, speculates that El Greco wanted to emphasize the greatness of Toledo. Due to Toledo sitting at the top, it symbolized the city's position being near heaven, yet still at the top of hill making it of earthly possession. Using medieval tradition, El Greco incorporated landmarks such as the cathedral and the Alcázar which were positioned in a manner where he could create his version of Toledo, "a city of the spirit". Toledo is the highest point it could be without being unnatural or in the sky, almost as if El Greco used the hills to work as a pedestal. It is thought that this painting's enigmatic symbolism could be related to the mysticism that infused the city during the period. Comparison to View and Plan of Toledo View of Toledo and View and Plan of Toledo, on display at the El Greco Museum in Toledo, have the same city as the center of its image, but a much different appearance and message. For starters, View of Toledo was painted before the latter. It has a more vibrant feeling with all the green and white to contrast the dark blue and black. View and Plan of Toledo has a much warmer and earth tone to it with lots of browns. It is also an aerial perspective in comparison to View of Toledo. For being paintings depicting Toledo, they could not be any different. However, they were believed to be commissioned by Pedro Salazar de Mendoza as they were found to be a part of his personal collection after his death. Salazar was very passionate about Toledo in every aspect. Due to Salazar's love of the city, it is believed to have inspired El Greco to paint both View of Toledo and View and Plan of Toledo. See also 100 Great Paintings, 1980 BBC series Notes References Scholarly articles and books Christiansen, Keith (October 2004). "El Greco (1541-1614)". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2020-11-18 Davies, D. "The Influence of Neo-Platonism on El Greco", 20 etc. D. Davies, the Byzantine Legacy in the Art of El Greco, 425–445 External links Metropolitan Museum of Art – View of Toledo Essay on this painting from the book Beauty and Terror by Brian A. Oard Painting of El Greco Paintings by El Greco 1590s paintings Landscape paintings Paintings