View of Toledo is among the best known depictions of the sky in Western art, along with Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night and the landscapes of J. M. W. Turner and Claude Monet.

[1] Art historians, specifically Harold Wethey, have debated the exact dating of View of Toledo.

However, art historian Harold Wethey believes it was painted between 1595 and 1600 because of the similarities to El Greco's other piece, Saint Joseph and the Christ Child.

Wethey also provides more evidence by pointing out the same techniques used in the background of Saint Joseph and the Christ Child that one can see in View of Toledo.

[7] That uneven detail that is normally found in his art is in his line work and in the physical location of Toledo in the painting.

While influenced by the Mannerist style, El Greco's expressive handling of color and form is without parallel in the history of art.

The Welsh art historian David Davies asserts that the philosophies of Platonism and ancient Neo-Platonism, the works of Plotinus and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the texts of the Church fathers and the liturgy offer the keys to the understanding of El Greco's style.

[8] Summarizing the ensuing scholarly debate on this issue, José Álvarez Lopera, curator at the Museo del Prado, Madrid, concludes that the presence of "Byzantine memories" is obvious in El Greco's mature works, though there are still some obscure issues concerning his Byzantine origins needing further illumination.

Art historian, Walter Liedtke, speculates that El Greco wanted to emphasize the greatness of Toledo.

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".

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.