But to go to school in a summer morn, O! it drives all joy away

I love to rise in a summer morn,
when the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the sky-lark sings with me.
O! what sweet company.

But to go to school in a summer morn,
O! it drives all joy away;
Under a cruel eye outworn.
The little ones spend the day,
In sighing and dismay.
- Opening two stanzas to William Blake's The School Boy

I couldn't resit beginning with the Blake poem which challenges traditional schooling. I actually don't feel this way about my summer classes because they are so intriguing and thought-provoking... and I'm taking them in London!
We had morning lecture and then in the afternoon we went to see the Tate Britain. Two of the most interesting paintings there were based on Shakespeare works (James Barry's Lear and Cordelia and Henry Fuseli's Titania and Bottom). I love listening to my professor's explanation of the artwork because his understanding of the time period and the background of the artist really puts in context and explains the paintings. (This prevents me from simply wandering the rooms just finding the prettiest paintings to stare at).

While the online picture doesn't quite serve the picture justice, one of my favorites from the Tate Britain was James Ward's Gordale Scar. It was of immense proportion, taking up an entire wall, and seemed to hold a lot of emotion in the canvas, which drew my eye to it.

I am excited to go see the Tate Modern, specifically to see Rodin's The Kiss sculpture. That's on the plate for next week though. It is hard to believe it is already the end of week one.