Irving Stone

Irving Stone, born Tennenbaum (14 July 1903 – 26 August 1989) was an American writer, chiefly known for his biographical novels of noted artists, politicians, and intellectuals.

Quotes

Rembrandt had to paint. Whether he painted well or badly didn’t matter; painting was the stuff that held him together as a man. The chief value of art, Vincent, lies in the expression it gives to the artist.

• What the world thought made little difference. Rembrandt had to paint. Whether he painted well or badly didn’t matter; painting was the stuff that held him together as a man. The chief value of art, Vincent, lies in the expression it gives to the artist. Rembrandt fulfilled what he knew to be his life purpose; that justified him. Even if his work had been worthless, he would have been a thousand times more successful than if he had put down his desire and become the richest merchant in Amsterdam.
  • Mendes da Costa to Vincent van Gogh, as portrayed in Lust for Life (1934), Book I, Ch. 5

External links

• Irving Stone video interview on Day at Night, PBS (23 April 1974)
• Irving Stone at the Internet Archive
• Guide to the Irving Stone Papers at The Bancroft Library