Sitges train station

A steam locomotive pulls into the Sitges station, its dark engine cutting sharply against the bright coastal light. Smoke drifts upward into a wide blue sky, while a small group of people waits nearby, watching with quiet attention. The ground is rough and dusty, the tracks newly laid, and the buildings feel modest and functional. Everything suggests a place in transition, where movement and change are beginning to reshape daily life.

Painted by Joan Roig i Soler, this scene captures the arrival of modern transport in a coastal town still rooted in tradition. Rather than celebrating speed or industry, Roig i Soler focuses on atmosphere and human scale. The train is powerful, but it does not dominate. It becomes part of the landscape, just another presence passing through. The painting reflects a moment when progress entered everyday life quietly, altering rhythms without spectacle, and leaving behind a sense of curiosity and cautious anticipation.