Photorealist Robert Bechtle is 81 today. Bass player and lead singer of Cream Jack Bruce is 70. Ridiculously overrated director George Lucas is 69. Another blockbuster director, Robert Zemeckis is 62. Pain in the ass and narcissistic Talking Heads front man, David Byrne is 61. Actor Tim Roth is 52. Cate Blanchett is 44. Director Sofia Coppola is 42. And evil businessman Mark Zuckerberg is 29.

The day belongs to the great painter Thomas Gainsborough was born on this day in 1727. Most people know him from The Blue Boy, which captivated me when I was a kid. There is something especially compelling about how he painted faces. Interestingly, he much preferred to paint landscapes. I don’t find them as compelling, even if they are very important.

Happy birthday Thomas Gainsborough!