There’s two things I admire about Al Hirschfeld. One is, he worked until the day he died; and two, he was a hell of an artist.

Hirschfeld found his passion, which is probably a big reason he spent nearly 100 years walking among mortals. He had something to motivate him each and every morning. For some people, retirement may be fine, but if you are able to do something you love, why retire? To me, retirement is meant to save you from work, but not every occupation (and this depends on individual attitude about one’s job) is work. Even the hardest job can be play, if that’s your attitude, if you’re fortunate enough to find a career that resonates in your soul.

I think that was true of Hirschfeld.

It certainly seems to be the truth when you look at his work. He poured so much life into his drawings. There was a zest there few other artists ever achieve. Certainly, Hirschfeld was a 20th Century Master.