Studio Hare. 2011. Edition of 100. C-type print. 15 15/16 x 12 in. (40.5 x 30.5 cm) (paper dimensions). 13 7/8 x 11 1/16 in. (35.3 x 28.1 cm) (image dimensions). Sam Taylor-Wood's 'Studio Hare' comes out of the artist's enduring interest in portraiture and identity. 'Studio Hare' could be compared to earlier works such as 'Self-portrait as a Tree' or '21st-century Fox', pictures that depict isolated figures in expressive poses that are at once portraits of inaccessible natural things and images of the artist. Likewise, 'Studio Hare' is a portrait of an anonymous animal and an image of the artist, the hare in a position that expresses a mix of beauty, pride and disquiet, while the expansive black background creates an air of vulnerability, adding to the ambiguity of the picture.
