I've spent a good part of this weekend in a seminar on the European Romantic movement at the Royal Literary & Scientific Institute. A series of lectures, most of which have been completely absorbing. I don't have any academic background so despite an abiding curiosity about the arts, I didn't have a clue about the history. I took this after a talk by James Malpas, who works for Christies education dept. I can't remember seeing such an assured and knowledgable speaker, and this painter was completely new to me (although I knew one or two of his paintings). Another highlight was Professor David Wyn Jones yesterday, talking about Joseph Haydn.

Having said all that, I'm lectured out now and have decided to give the last two lectures a miss :)