Fifteen Nude Children Dancing 1535

Heinrich Aldegrever created the engraving *Fifteen Nude Children Dancing* during the Northern Renaissance. Consider how the cultural norms of 16th century Germany informed Aldegrever’s representation of childhood and innocence. The image captures a group of children, nude and seemingly carefree, engaged in a dance. At the time, Germany was undergoing significant religious and social upheaval due to the Protestant Reformation. Art often served as a means to explore and negotiate changing values. The nudity of the children may evoke a pre-lapsarian state of innocence, a time before the awareness of sin. However, it also invites the gaze of the viewer, raising questions about the role of the observer in defining innocence. Are these children symbols of purity, or are they presented for the viewer’s aesthetic pleasure? What does it mean to portray childhood in such a way? As you consider these questions, reflect on your own emotional response to the image.