The Most Important Images of the Year

In 2014, we saw things we’ve never seen before — things we were never intended to see, things we didn’t want to see, things we delighted in, and things we will never forget. The past 12 months were defined by these images. Considering a year this difficult, this beautiful, this packed with complexity requires looking at these images closely— whether we want to or not — and considering why they stubbornly refuse to fade.