Sam Taylor-Wood

Sam Taylor-Wood

"Sam Taylor-Wood makes photographs and films that examine, through highly charged scenarios, our shared social and psychological conditions.
Taylor-Wood’s work examines the split between being and appearance, often placing her human subjects – either singly or in groups – in situations where the line between interior and external sense of self is in conflict." 

(http://whitecube.com/artists/sam_taylor-wood/)

The image above is included in Charlotte Cotton's book - the photograph as contemporary art.
according to the book, this is another example of an image which is a recreation of a painting from a period in art history when that was a prevalent and popular form of picture making but also consciously revives the idealism bound up in Wallis's painting. Taylor-Wood's rich baroque style is often used to create bohemian and dandyish characterisations. Entwining aspects of her own personal life in her staged photographs - for instance, by including her close friends - Taylor-Wood plays the role of a contemporary court painter, portraying an artistic and social elite of which she is part. 

(text adapted from book mentioned above)