Forget the Text, Just Look at the Drawings

I'm usually pretty keen on reading gallery notes and considering the curator's intentions when I observe an art exhibition, if for no other reason than to enjoy the mental exercise of an imaginary argument with them. However the current exhibition at Tate Liverpool, 'The Stage of Drawing', curated by Avis Newman, will probably be an exception. The review from Guardian Unlimited writer Alfred Hickling quotes the incomprehensible artspeak that curator Avis Newman appends to the touring exhibition 'The Stage of Drawing', which does more to alienate the viewer than inform, adding his own amusing elucidations (oh, we can't help ourselves!). Still, it sounds like the exhibition, drawn from the wonderous depths of the Tate archives, is well worth seeing - Turner, Thornhill, Fontana and Bacon are featured, just to name a few. Just enjoy the work, and don't worry about the elitist twaddle that goes with it. (Exhibition at Tate Liverpool till March 28 2004).