The rose—a simile of choice for poets through the ages. But have roses ever been as metaphorical as they become in the large-scale, still life photography of Nick Knight? A cluster of deep pink roses suggests an erotic bower of bliss. A cascade of palest pinks, a Dior ballgown. Blown white roses—a brooding thunderhead. These gorgeous images draw their poise from 16th- and 17th-century painting, and their light from modern technology: they were photographed on an iPhone, then filtered through software. —L.J.