View of Toledo

Notes: Painted in New York, NY, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Painting is a copy of the El Greco. March 3 At the Metropolitan "Looked, especially, at El Greco's 'View of Toledo'; the 2 greens in the 2nd foreground." October 16 "pm to Metropolitan Museum, decided to copy Greco's 'View of Toledo. ordered stretcher & canvas - same size as original: 42 3/4 x 47 3/4 or 108.6 x 121.3 cms." 18, "ordered 'photos of Toledo.", 20 "To Frick, got 2 photostats of Toledo and negative. .85c 11 5/8 x 10 3/8", 21 "got canvas & stretcher for copy.", 23 "am stretched canvas for El Greco's for El Greco's 'Storm Over Toledo' Linen.", 24 "Pm squared off the photograph & canvas, 3 hrs.", 27 "I began drawing on my copy,", 28 "Drew on Toledo all day.", 29 "drew on Toledo.", 30 "By taxi to Metropolitan Museum; began painting on 43/48 of Toledo." "I feel better for having painted.", 31, November 4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25 "L. foreground.", 26 "Drawing L. foreground.", 27 Pat at Museum mid-day, December 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 "On my copy, there is a slight flatening [sic] in the shapes, chiefly on the left & right sides, due to the fact that, though the canvas is the size of the original, the original apperture extends to the stretcher edges on the copy; I have taken no account of what of the original is hidden by the rabbit. This affects the width more than it does the length; the rectangle's width [is] more affected by a constant rabbit than is the length; i.e. 1 is not to 43 as 1 is to 48", 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27, 30, 31.

1947: January 2, 6 "Began 1st color spot clouds at upper R. Drawing on hillside ramparts.", 7, 8, 9, 10 "difficult day on the Greco.", 13 "I am now about satisfied with the essential drawing in the copy.", 15, 16, 20 "Drawing quite satisfactory.", 21 ""original & copy both at worst - in very different degrees!" [due to clouds & shifting light], 22, 23, 27, 29, 30, February 3, 5, 6 "drawing is now satisfactory.", 11, 13 "'system' in the tower," "Renewed [copying] permit -to Mar. 13th.", 14, 17, 18 "Darkened the sky with French brush, no medium & my 'pile'.", 19, 20 "painted the 14 gothic windows in the building under the Alcazar.", 24 saw "the color film of the 1/2 cleaned Toledo.", 25 "Tagus - 3..boat[?])", "Thoughts of the Toledo (original); what struck me, in the night, was El Greco's originality.", 26 "Guide to doing the Toledo: invert it.", 27, 28 "Saw Tondell's canvas of me & the Toledo at Ass. Am. Artists. [see clipping]", "copy 3/4 completed.", March 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 "numbering the sky on my photostat.", 10 "Pat came to the museum at noon.", 12 "notes in sketchbook.", 13 "Took copy to studio.", 14 got gear from museum, 19 "studio painted on copy - sky over Alcazar.", 20, 21, 24 "painted on Alcazar.",,, 25 "painted sky to L, ", 26, 27 "got large, good photostat of Toledo -", 29, April 2 "To Metropolitan Greco.", 3 "Painted on sky", 5, 7 "painted The Hide (squ... & drew it).", 10 "painted Hole etc.", 14, 16 "painted on sky left.", 20 "to Museum to see the Greco.", May 22 "brought Toledo home.", 23 "boxed Toledo", 24, sent to Wellfleet by Railway Express, 31 it arrived Wellfleet, August 4 hung Toledo in cottage. 1948 May 3 "Took Toledo & gear to appt [sic].". September 16 "I have heard the merits of the 'Storm over Toledo' described many times, but one least adequate than most others, I like best was made when I was copying the piece in 1945-46 [sic]. A girl stopped by me, and pointing to the blue hill on the horizon over the bridge asked: 'is that a wave?' She had hit on the unreality of the piece." 1949: October 18 "Shelly took (will take) the 'Toledo' @ $1000=."

1957: September 27, "varnished the Toledo" (journal).