Ship's Compass c. 1937

Magnus Fossum made this drawing of a Ship's Compass, and what gets me is the drawing itself, the act of observing and rendering this object, like a form of translation. I see an attention to the patinated surface, the bloom of oxidation on the metal, the careful rendering of the compass rose. It is so meticulous and attentive. What was Fossum thinking as he made it? Did he have sea legs? Was he longing for adventure, or just a steady hand and eye? What is the relationship between art and craft, between the functional object and its representation? And what is the connection between Fossum and other artists who draw, copy, trace, and translate found images? There is something deeply human, and humble, in this act of transcription, the desire to understand something by remaking it in one's own language.