Malerne

Malerne is a Danish and Norwegian noun meaning the painters. It is the definite plural form of maler, painter, and is used to refer to painters as a group or to all painters previously mentioned.

In Danish and Norwegian Bokmål, the indefinite plural is malere and the definite plural is malerne. This pattern is common in both languages, where the definite plural indicates a specific, known group of painters.

The term appears in various compound forms that name groups of painters, most famously Skagenmalerne, the Skagen Painters, a community of Danish artists who gathered in Skagen in the late 19th century. The Skagen painters are associated with naturalistic depictions of coastal life and distinctive light. Notable members included P. S. Krøyer, Anna Ancher, and Michael Ancher, among others. The word malerne is thus used both in everyday language and in art-historical contexts to refer to painters collectively.

Usage of malerne is neutral and modern in tone, applicable to discussions of painters in general as well as to specific organized groups. In references to individual painters, the singular form maleren is used, while to speak about painters as a class, malere or malerne may be employed depending on definiteness and context. See also maler, the base form for painter.