James Nachtwey’s photograph from Bucha, Ukraine, is a wartime tableau cluttered with the stuff of life. Bottles and boxes sit atop of a worn floral tablecloth. A metal bowl perches precariously on a chair. The old painted door is flung open to the darkened next room. It takes a moment to notice the lifeless body of the woman who lived there, slumped beneath the table, still wrapped in a heavy coat.

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. Recently, every year seems like a history-making year: a pandemic that killed millions; an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; and, in 2022, a war with frightening echoes of the 20th century’s devastating world wars.

Together, these photographs capture a narrative about a year in the arts, building a collection of evolving scenes and inner worlds. We asked some of the photographers to discuss the intentions behind these frames and the stories they saw within them. Now that the year is coming to a close, take one more look back at how we saw culture this year. — JOLIE RUBEN, senior photo editor