Impressionism – From Photography To Painting is a new book by French-born, Vietnam-based photographer Réhahn.
Available now, it is both an in-depth exploration of the revolutionary Impressionist movement and the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists who have inspired him, including Monet, Boudin, Pissarro, Caillebotte, Manet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir and Degas, and a collection of Réhahn’s images from his new Impressionist Photography series, many taken using creative techniques, including shooting through fire and using reflections in water.
2025 is set to be a big year for Vietnam, with April 2025 marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and the country’s reunification. Réhahn owns two galleries in Vietnam, one in Hoi An, where he lives, and one in Ho Chi Minh City.
Réhahn was born in Normandy, the birthplace of the Impressionism. The term ‘Impressionism’ was originally used by critics as an insult but the influence of the master painters’ work continues to echo through the centuries and inspire new artists.
“Growing up in Normandy, the works of the Impressionists were always in the background of my daily life. When I went to Honfleur, I’d walk along the port where Monet and Eugene Boudin first started the movement. In Paris, there are the Haussmannian buildings and Grande Boulevards painted by Pissarro and Caillebotte, and the opera that Degas loved so much. I always felt a strong connection to the French countryside, a subject that many Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, like Monet and Van Gogh, focused on. Even though Vietnam is on the other side of the world, there are similarities in the colours and scenes you can find in the French and Vietnamese countryside.” Réhahn
Known as the “photographer who captures the souls” of his subjects, Réhahn’s new Impressionist Photography marks a significant break from the portrait work he’s famous for, including his decade-long project to document all 54 ethnic tribes in Vietnam. His evocative, colourful portraits, taken from India to Cuba, and at home in Vietnam, have made him one of the world’s most popular photographers.
His Impressionist project was conceived and begun during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Impressionism – From Photography To Painting is more than just a love letter to the great Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists, but a deep dive into the painters’ techniques, many of which Réhahn draws on in his photographic work, including Japonism and en plein air (working outdoors), as well as their emphasis on mood and emotion, creating a captivating dialogue between the past and future of Impressionism.
“In my Impressionist photos, I’m always trying to get away from reality and infuse a dream-like atmosphere into my images. I want people to look at them and take in the colours, textures, light and shapes but not to think of them as documentation. Like the Impressionists, I hope to create images focused on an emotional quality – my personal ‘impression’ of a moment in time.” Réhahn
Réhahn’s Impressionist photos were all created without the use of filters or artificial effects in post-production. Most were taken in Vietnam, in the countryside or on beaches around Hoi An, where Réhahn lives, as well as the salt fields of Cam Ranh, while others were created on trips to Cuba, a country the photographer has a close connection with. His image Illusion recently became the first of Réhahn’s Impressionist photos to be featured in a national museum – it’s now on show at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana, Cuba.
Réhahn : Impressionism – From Photography To Painting
Publication date: February, 2025.
Hardcover / 166 pages
www.rehahnphotographer.com
Originally from Bayeux in Normandy, France, Réhahn has lived in Hoi An, Vietnam since 2011.
