Melodeon Converted into Desk c. 1937

This delicate study of a Melodeon Converted into Desk was made by Magnus S. Fossum, who lived from 1888 to 1980. The colours are warm browns, the soft hue of wood, captured in watercolour. I love to imagine Fossum carefully rendering the form of the desk, its little drawers, and the shadows cast by its ornate legs. He was probably thinking about how to translate a three-dimensional object into two dimensions, about light and shadow, and about the subtle variations in tone and texture that make wood so beautiful. There is an almost folksy sensibility about the work, which makes me wonder about the context in which Fossum was working and the kind of art he was looking at. As artists, we all stand on the shoulders of giants and are constantly in dialogue with the art of the past and present. And it’s through these conversations that we find our own voice and make our own unique contributions to the ongoing story of art.