Paddy Field after Rain – Dry Pastel Painting by Saikat Mondal

The scent of wet soil, the bend of workers, and a grey sky — this is Bengal in motion and pause.

Rendered in vibrant dry pastels, this original artwork by Saikat Mondal captures a moment etched into Bengal’s monsoon life — when fields glisten after rain, and the day resumes in hushed resilience. In the foreground, muddy water reflects broken clouds and floating clumps of earth — remnants of a storm just passed. To the right, a patch of vivid green hosts workers bent in rhythm, their presence subtle yet unmistakable.

The midground opens into tiered fields, shifting in gentle gradients of green, violet, and ochre. Trees lean like witnesses. A grey sky, slightly bruised with lavender and lime, stretches above — suggestive of another shower.

This is not a romanticized village scene. It is a lived memory — the everyday reality of rice farmers, of soaked hands and persistent work. The painting holds together movement and reflection, storm and calm, toil and beauty.