Putto Lifting Curtain (recto); Infant St. John (verso) n.d.

Editor: Here we have a drawing, titled *Putto Lifting Curtain (recto); Infant St. John (verso)*. It’s undated, and by an anonymous artist. It seems to be made with chalk and pastel on paper. The figure seems dynamic, caught in motion. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: This drawing, though seemingly simple, is a window into the Renaissance understanding of childhood, specifically divine childhood. We see the cherubic form, a 'putto,' lifting a curtain, perhaps unveiling something. But what does it mean to unveil something when the figure doing the unveiling is itself a symbol, a putto? Editor: So, it's about unveiling a concept rather than a literal object? Curator: Exactly! The putto and infant Saint John represent purity, innocence, and a pre-social state. This pre-social status needs to be viewed alongside how Renaissance society understood children— often seeing them as miniature adults, absent of unique inner lives. Consider then the act of unveiling; this may reveal social structures and inequalities adults hide from innocent perception. Is the lifting of the curtain then a radical act? Editor: A radical act of seeing the world anew, without the layers of societal norms... I never thought of it that way. Curator: Precisely. The artist invites us to question what is hidden and who benefits from the obscuration. On the other side, you have John the Baptist, who in his infancy is a prefiguration of justice. Consider who such representations historically benefit: the church and its wealth. Can we reconcile the visual with the economic realities of the Renaissance? Editor: It gives a whole new level of meaning to a seemingly simple drawing. Thinking about the power structures represented—or perhaps challenged—by these figures of innocence is fascinating. Curator: Indeed. Art serves as a complex dialogue. Always remember to consider whose voices and interests are represented, intentionally or not, by the artist’s choices.