As well as capturing landscapes, Mr Rainbird also liked to draw figures
A collection of paintings capturing the landscapes and legacy of life on the North East coast is going on display.
The exhibition, From Dark to Light, explores the work of artist Victor Noble Rainbird, who was born in North Shields in 1887.
The largest collection to have been staged since the 1930s, his favourite subjects were the North Sea and the streets and people of his hometown.
Curator Dave Young said there was a lot of affection for him in the town.
Many of the pieces on display at The Old Low Light Heritage Centre in North Shields have never been seen in public before.
Mr Young, said: "We hope that this exhibition will shed new light on the life and work of a remarkable man and also a much misunderstood artist.
"This is the first major exhibition of his paintings to be held in his hometown of North Shields since the artist's lifetime and it is being held in a building that he would have known well and often painted.
"Victor Noble Rainbird's paintings are a fascinating legacy of life in the North East before and after the Great War, while his own remarkable war record is only now being unravelled."
The artist drew his landscapes and street scenes in oil and watercolour
Mr Rainbird joined the Northumberland Fusiliers in 1914 when he was 26-years-old and served on the Western Front at Ypres, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge and Armentieres.
Some of the drawings he produced while on active service have survived and are included in the exhibition.
Mr Young said they were a "poignant, important and sombre record of the horrors of war".
As well as capturing scenes from his hometown, Mr Rainbird also captured life overseas
After the war, Rainbird made several return trips to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, producing some of his most impressive works.
He died aged 47 in 1936.
From Dark to Light: exploring the life and art of Victor Noble Rainbird is on display at The Old Low Light Heritage Centre from 10 July to 6 September.
- Published23 May 2012
