Description:
Joan Roig i Soler (1852-1909) was a Catalan painter who initiated the Luminism in Spanish painting. He studied in Barcelona, Rome, and Paris. He was one of the founders of the Sitges School of Landscapists, which was devoted to Luminism. He regularly exhibited his works at national and international exhibitions, achieving numerous successes. In his work he dealt with landscape painting.

Description of the painting: The painting “Town in Catalonia” shows an alley of the town on a sunny day. The foreground is occupied by an empty square with outlined pavement. The right edge of the painting is formed by buildings, which through the applied perspective lead into the depth. On the left side a house is visible with an open entrance. The center of the image field is formed by a paved road or stairs between the buildings, which are an extension of the pavement on the first plan. Figures can be seen in the distance moving on it. Above them towers a massive bell tower crowning the façade of the church.

The painting is another example of Spanish Luminism. Creating the view, the artist presents the play of sharp Catalan solar rays on the characteristic buildings of the region. The left part of the foreground is shrouded in the shade of buildings located on the unseen side of the alley. The artist also reproduces the shadow on the brightened buildings. Thus composed, the image becomes a study of light.