AbgebildeteAbgebildeten

AbgebildeteAbgebildeten is a term used in some strands of art theory and linguistics to denote a particular relation between depicted subjects in an image and the linguistic forms that refer to them in accompanying text. The form combines the German participle abgebildet meaning “depicted” with inflected forms abgebildete and abgebildeten, written as a single compound to indicate a unity of visual and textual designation. The term is not widely established in standard German usage but appears in theoretical discussions of image-text interaction, captioning practices, and translation studies.

In practice, AbgebildeteAbgebildeten signals a dual status of the depicted entities: on the one hand as visible figures in the image (the abgebildete); on the other hand as referents framed by the caption or surrounding discourse (the abgebildeten). This duality can produce interpretive effects, such as foregrounding certain subjects in the image while syntactically attributing them different roles in the text.

Usage and examples: The concept is used to analyze cases where captions or alt text govern how viewers understand who or what is depicted. For instance, a photo book might present a sequence where the caption emphasizes the depicted people while the main text addresses the depicted as historical agents, creating a layered reading of the AbgebildeteAbgebildeten.

See also: Bildtheorie, Ikonografie, Semiotik, Bildtext, Metakommunikation.