Do uncovered writings reveal artist's 'true feelings' about Manchester? LS Lowry faced a backlash from art world for being 'too Northern' He has long been celebrated for highlighting the beauty of the industrial North. But Lancashire artist LS Lowry may not have been quite as fond of his roots as previously thought, according to newly-discovered letters. The artist, famous for his 'matchstick men' paintings, privately described his hometown of Manchester as 'a place of the dead', it has emerged. Many of Lowry's drawings and paintings depict Salford. He painted scenes of life in the industrial districts of Northern England The comment was made in a confidential letter to a friend after Lowry had visited the city, the subject of many of his most famous works. The less than flattering assessment is ironic given the backlash Lowry received from the art world for being 'too Northern'. He is said to have resented the London-centric galleries of his day who adopted a snobbish attitude towards his background. He defiantly produced scores of landscapes depicting northern cities and the people that lived there, often seeking to show the working class way of life. LS Lowry, artist in 1966: New letters suggest that the famous Northern son might not have been quite as proud of his roots as previously thought More recently, he has been held up as a champion of the North by Tate Modern and other arts organisations. But experts said that his relationship with Manchester and its surrounding towns was much more complex than may people think. Dr Philip Best said: 'Lowry has now become a symbol for people who are keen to promote a new Northern identity. He is a symbol of the vibrancy and cultural wealth of Manchester. 'But that's not quite how he would have seen it in his lifetime. When one looks at his paintings, the people are all dressed in the same drab clothing. They're walking around in a daze against an industrial backdrop. He is portrayed as a person celebrating the vibrancy of the working class north which is an interesting thing if he described it as a place of the dead. An oil on canvas work by 20th Century British artist Laurence Stephen Lowry When people pass away they often end up being used to promote which ever agenda people seek to push. The letter is going on sale for the first time after a close friend of the artist put it up for auction. It was written to his art critic friend Mervin Levy on October 19, 1962, from his then home in Mottram-in Longdendale. The note read: 'After about 10 days in London, Manchester seems like a place of the dead - quite deserted in comparison.' Lowry's note to Levy referred to an enclosed a letter also written by the painter to Levy's editor at Studio magazine in which the artist wrote that his friend had 'revitalised' the publication. Lowry's Lancashire Fair Good Friday 1946 It seems the artist posted both signed letters from Glossop to London in the same envelope. The pair of letters are part of a single lot valued at between £700 and £1,000 by the auctioneers, Fraser's, as part of a wider sale of other non-Lowry artefacts, Autographs, Historical Documents & Memoribilia this Thursday. The current owner obtained the letters from Mr Levy alongside other LS Lowry keepsakes for his private collection. LS Lowery, who died in 1976, was frequently mocked by the London-centric art world because he was a self-taught 'Sunday painter'. The rent collector's roots were firmly based in and around Manchester, having been raised in Salford and attending college in Salford and Manchester before finally earning recognition from the London-based art elite. Earlier this year the capital doffed a belated flat cap to honour Lowry with the first major exhibition to honour the world-renowned artist in 37 years. Tate Britain's Lowry and the Painting of Modern Life exhibition, which came to a close in October, aimed to re-examine the painter 'for a new and extended audience'.