Spotlight Artist

Matthew Linden King

MFA Annual
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

I am interested in the underlying association between the spoken word, the sung word, and the painted image. I am primarily inspired by a recent musical movement that pairs centuries-old hymn texts with contemporary folk and rock tunes. In this pairing, the integrity of the lyrical structure and the theology of a hymn text remain intact while the tone of its dissemination is altered to accommodate a new audience. Considering this union in my own work, I rely on the subject matter, structure, and cadence of hymn texts to guide the creation of the paintings, all the while exploring contemporary materials and processes to communicate the relevance of a hymn’s contents to me today. Many of these texts were never paired with music, so as I reference them in my work, my paintings become visual manifestations of theological content traditionally paired with a musical language. In my case, the lexicon has been transferred to paint and the participant shifts from hearing the content to seeing it on a surface.

Artist's Additional works

Works shared by the artist outside of their featured New American Paintings selections

Featured artwork
Featured artwork

Discover more artists from the MFA Annual

THE MAGAZINE

Explore our magazine to discover exceptional artists

Open magazine with text, modern illustrations, and a list of artists on a pink background.
View issues

Call for Artists

Submit your work for consideration

New American Paintings is a juried exhibition-in-print and digital, presenting the work of 40 emerging artists in each issue.

View competitions

Your gateway to new art

Discover tomorrow's art stars, today

Two books on a wooden table with a modern decorative sculpture in the background.

PRINT + EARLY ACCESS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$179/YEAR

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$99/YEAR OR $10/MONTH

Each issue of New American Paintings features forty artists selected through our juried competitions—presented in a beautifully curated, full-color publication. Subscribers receive six issues per year, plus exclusive online access to current and past editions. Are you a collector? Consider our premium subscription and receive our museum-quality printed publication + access to each new digital issue two weeks before its general release.