Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Rehana Yesmin

Petrichor

Petrichor is an acrylic painting that depicts a quiet waterside landscape at sunrise immediately after rainfall. The work captures a transitional moment in nature, where the storm has passed and the environment is in a state of renewal. Warm tones of yellow and orange emerge along the horizon, suggesting the rising sun, while cooler blues, greens, and purples shape the calm atmosphere of early morning light. The composition is structured through layered depth, with tall grasses and reeds in the foreground leading the viewer into the scene and reinforcing a sense of presence at the water’s edge. The midground and distant landforms are rendered with softer, blended brushwork, allowing atmosphere and light to take precedence over precise detail. This approach creates a subtle tension between observation and interpretation, where the landscape feels real but dreamy. The painting emphasizes atmosphere, light, and sensory memory, evoking the earthy freshness of petrichor, the smell of rain on soil. Through its tonal transitions and softened forms, the work reflects themes of calmness, renewal, and stillness after disruption. Petrichor invites the viewer to experience a fleeting emotional and sensory moment shaped by light, air, and time.