It was his abilities as a painter which brought him here. They had caught the eye of Edward "Beau" Lascelles, the son of Lord Harewood. The talent he had spotted and invited to Yorkshire was the son of a London hairdresser named JMW Turner who duly produced a series of watercolours of Harewood House for his client.

But according to Professor David Hill, Turner never forgot his roots even when he was working for fabulously wealthy landed magnates like the Lascelles family. "His pictures are almost never without social commentary," says Prof Hill who this afternoon will be at Harewood House to talk about Turner's fascination with the human implications of changing economic circumstances in the country and the city.

Turner was no stranger to Leeds by the time that he came to paint a view of Leeds from the perspective of Beeston Hill in 1816. In those 10 years since Turner's first trip, the old Leeds of the 1790s had been transformed from a trading centre into an industrial powerhouse and the changes this had wrought on the people within the town had been dramatic.

"Because of its geography, a flat plain that could be serviced by transport, which was something that didn't exist anywhere else, Leeds' industry was contained within an area," says Prof Hill. "This was unlike Birmingham or Manchester where industry was scattered."

It meant Leeds was the perfect subject for an industrial painting.

In 1816, Turner had first set about painting Gledhow Hall. Then he turned his attention to painting Leeds from the south after discovering the dramatic views at Beeston Hill.

The Leeds Guide of the time recommended this particular perspective, saying: "Perhaps the most pleasing view of Leeds is from the rising ground on the road to Beeston, from which the elegant buildings of Park Row, Park Place, the Cloth Hall, the Infirmary and the different churches may be seen to great advantage."

Turner painted it as he saw it – a scene that was really far from elegant. In the foreground are ruddy-faced workers repairing a wall, a butcher lugging what appears to be a lamb's carcass wrapped in a cloth, two donkeys laden with riders and milk churns and even a mangy dog. The background offers views into the distance, yet even these are obscured by plumes of industrial smoke.

Rather than being a celebration of industry then, this painting is all about the gritty reality of the new Leeds, with its smoking chimneys and work-worn labourers. Some claim that Turner's Leeds from Beeston Hill is the first picture of an industrial city by any artist. David Hill argues that Turner's paintings do carry specific social implications and commentary. "Turner is judgmental."

Since those days, Leeds has continued to undergo dramatic changes, at least until the bubble in the world's financial system burst and the cranes seemed to disappear from the city's skyline almost overnight. These changes to the bigger picture resonate personally with David Hill, who has lived and worked in the city for most of his life.

His latest book, after 10 others on Turner, is his first about the city and this artist. "I've written about almost anything but Leeds," he says. "I think it has taken so long because it's home."

Although Hill is an academic – Professor of History of Art at Leeds University, this new book is not penned for an academic audience. "I find academic writing dull, unless I'm researching something particular. There is a place for it in writing, but I'm writing for a wider audience. Isn't art made for a wide audience, too?"

Hill is an expert on English landscape painting and he argues that while Turner's paintings were ultimately owned by relatively wealthy individuals, they were always exhibited to the general public, and what's more, they were designed to have as broad an appeal as possible.

During his life, Turner painted a number of beautiful Yorkshire landscapes, romantic ruins and grand stately homes. David Hill points out that while the artist's talent brought him swift upward mobility, he retained a working class sensibility that was often reflected in his painting. "His sympathies lay with a wider audience."

When he began researching the book, David Hill followed in Turner's footsteps to the top of Beeston Hill – something he hadn't done in 25 years – to compare the view then and now.

"'It was a shocking experience, even though I already knew that everything had changed.

"In the 1950s, my family were the first occupants of a new-built house in Cross Gates. At that time there were derelict farms nearby – all the fields had been built on but the farm buildings were
still there."

The experience of looking at Beeston Hill from the exact spot that Turner painted had the effect of bringing David Hill closer to Turner the man. It has certainly allowed him to appreciate the drama that particular view must have brought to the artist.

"I like Turner because I can empathise with him. Looking at his paintings, I've always wondered exactly who he's painting for, and I wonder how he got on with his patrons and what they ultimately thought about his depictions.

"In Leeds from Beeston Hill, Turner undermines what could be seen as a celebration of industry and knocks it off its comfortable perch. Once you really look at the figures, it's difficult to just uncritically enjoy the view."

The original of Leeds from Beeston Hill is at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, US. A reproduction of it will be on view at Harewood House for a new exhibition, Turner, Harewood and Leeds, from today.

It coincides with the launch of David Hill's book and also features Turner's paintings of Harewood House and Harewood Castle, along with historic maps and plans of Leeds lent by the Thoresby Society.

n David Hill's Turner lecture is today at Harewood House 4pm-6.30pm, tickets www.harewood.org or 0113 218 1000.

Turner and Leeds: Image of Industry by David Hill, Jeremy Mills Publishing (www.jeremymillspublishing.co.uk/ 01484 463340) available at a discounted £30 (rrp £35).