What is your favorite image (art, photo, etc.) and what about it makes it your favorite?

The Vinegar Tasters.

Confucius, Mencius and Laozi taste vinegar from the same pot. Their perception of its quality is determined by their philosophy, and shown in their facial expressions: One sour, one bitter, one sweet. So it is with life -- even in the same situation, different people will react differently based on their outlook on life.

To me, the painting is a reminder not to fill myself with bitter or angry thoughts. There are many things wrong with the world, but these can simply be stored as facts, rather than dwelled upon and thereby passed on to others in anger.

Consider the story of the vinegar pot as an allegory for social media, perhaps.

This old photo of a man enjoying some rice. Given how rare it is to see people smiling in old photos it’s almost jarring/anachronistic to see such a display of emotion.

I love this! The joy on his face is infectious.
I've heard one of the reasons you don't often see people smiling on old photos is because you had to hold the pose for quite a while. So in order to make it easier (and prolly not look like an idiot) they often went for the most mundane expressions. Not sure if it's true though. Someone more informed is welcome to enlighten me.
Yeah the smile makes him seem like he's from our time.

This ranks high: Dorothy & The Lion from the 1902 live production of The Wizard of Oz:

It's unnerving.

For something that isn't too obvious (e.g. not hanged in a museum or anything), I often come back to that picture and it always move me, for some reason :

I like it!

stole this idea from a tiktok, it's a dog thinking the parade for the pope in Mexico, 2012, was for him

I love this.

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One of my favourites is Max Ernst, Two Children are Threatened by a Nightingale.

https://uploads2.wikiart.org/images/max-ernst/two-children-are-threatened-by-a-nightingale-1924.jpg

I don't know why exactly, but it's many years since I first saw it and I still find it intriguing.

I love La femme 100 têtes.
- Yeah, that's lovely. Shades of Hieronymus Bosch.

A picture of my van when my wheel fell off at 2am and rolled into the grass. Its my favorite because its one of the funniest things that happened to me ever. Pic

I don't like picking a favorite piece of art, but I am a big fan of "Eton schoolboy jumping a motorbike". It contains a lot of concepts that I love: Youth, rebellion, freedom, excitement, the UK, the sixties, fashion, and classic motorcycles.

Source on Reddit

This image I have of the Beartooth Mountains in southern Montana. On the far right of the image is Paradise Valley, and in the distance on the right, you can just barely start make out Yellowstone National Park.

Beartooth Mountains

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Thanks, that's very relatable.

I love how it makes their underwater world seem so epic and grand, almost like a futuristic city.

I think it's Spiderman #1 cover by Todd McFarlane. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61uRXFwZzAL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg

Arnold Bocklin's The Isle of the Dead

It has this sort of otherworldly serenity. It's dark and scary, but at the same time it feels inviting. It really captures a nuanced understanding of death that I find beautiful.

This gif of a puppy going from "snoozing" to " face-deep in food" in 0.1 seconds.

I don't think much explanation is needed as to why, because it's beautiful.

Self-Crowned | acrylic on canvas 32x39" By Eva Gamayun (formerly Tanya Shatseva)