gemalte

Gemalte is the attributive form of the past participle gemalt, derived from the verb malen. It functions as an adjective meaning “painted” and is used to describe things produced by painting or having been painted, such as a painting, a wall, or a decoration. It commonly appears before nouns like Bild, Porträt, Wand, Decke, or Oberfläche.

Grammar and inflection can be tricky because gemalte behaves like a normal German adjective. In attributive position with a definite article, it takes the weak endings: der gemalte Mann, die gemalte Frau, das gemalte Bild. In the neuter singular with a definite article, the form is das gemalte Bild. With an indefinite article, as in ein gemaltes Bild, it uses mixed endings. In plural with the definite article, die gemalten Bilder; without an article, gemalte Bilder (strong endings) are possible as well.

Usage notes: gemalte is typically used for final results of painting rather than the act of painting itself. It can describe artworks, decorative surfaces, or even descriptions of historical interiors. The term frequently appears in art history, museum labels, catalog entries, and descriptive prose.

Examples:

- ein gemaltes Porträt

- das gemalte Bild an der Wand

- die gemalten Decken des Barockraums

- ohne Artikel: gemalte Bilder galten als Renaissancewerke

See also: malen, Gemälde, Malerei; these related terms cover the act of painting and the resulting works, of which gemalte is a common descriptive form.