A new study of a rare painting could unlock clues about a celebrated miner artist, according to researchers.
Colliery Row by North East painter Norman Cornish has been donated to Northumbria University, which already owns the world’s largest collection of Cornish’s paintings.
The artwork is considered rare as it was painted in 1947, when Cornish was still working as a miner at Dean and Chapter Colliery Ferryhill, making it the earliest work in the university’s possession.
PhD student Jennifer Myers, who will be carrying out scientific analysis of the paining, said her research aimed to look at Cornish’s materials and development as an artist.
“This painting gives us a rare chance to study an artwork which may provide more clues about the detail of Cornish’s working practice during that transition [from miner to artist],” she said.
“What excites me most about this painting is that it comes from such an early point in Cornish’s career, before he left mining to focus on art full time.”