Referred to as "courtyard body" and "courtyard painting", it is a kind of Chinese painting. Generally speaking, it refers to the paintings of Hanlin Painting Academy in Song Dynasty and its later court painters. There are also works specifically referring to the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy, or generally referring to non-court painters who imitate the style of the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy. This kind of works mainly focus on flowers and birds, landscapes, court life and religious content to meet the needs of the court. They pay attention to statutes, have both form and spirit, and have a gorgeous and delicate style. Because different times and painters have different specialties, their painting styles are different and have their own characteristics. Mr. Lu Xun said: "It is advisable to give up the tender and gentle aspects of the courtyard paintings in Song Dynasty." (On the "Use of the Old Style" in the Essays of Jieting)

In the Tang Dynasty, Zhao Xu and Sacrifice were established in China. In the Five Dynasties, painting academies were established in Xishu and Nantang. Hanlin Painting Academy was established in Song Dynasty, and excellent painters were selected to serve the imperial court. Most of the landscapes, flowers and birds, people, etc. Paintings made by painting academies in past dynasties all require pen coloring, neat and meticulous, magnificent, rigorous composition, gorgeous colors, and some are very decorative, so they are called institutional paintings.

Song Dynasty Academy Painting Series

Academy painting in Song Dynasty was not only a prosperous period in the history of ancient painting in China, but also made great contributions to China's art and culture. During the period of Song and Zong Wei, the Hanlin Painting Academy was established and gained fame, which trained a number of outstanding painters and left valuable wealth for China's artistic and cultural heritage.

Song Zong Wei was not only an emperor, but also a great artist and connoisseur. He was the guide and pioneer of art in Song Dynasty, which made Hanlin Painting Academy become the focus of attention of the ruling and opposition parties. Unfortunately, he became the victim of a traitor and a prisoner of war of the enemy.

Song paid attention to the cultivation of painters and the improvement of their comprehensive quality, which is unique in the history of ancient art. In order to advocate the artistic conception of "painting in poetry and poetry in painting", Song completely changed the painting academy. The college paintings in this period are called "Xuanhe paintings", which are mainly flower-and-bird paintings. Their characteristics are exquisite, accurate, elegant and implicit, poetic and vivid in form. In terms of techniques and aesthetic orientation, he was integrated with the literati at that time.

The courtyard paintings in the Song Dynasty were infused with poetry, and immediately had a soul, which made the pictures reflect vitality and vividness and made the audience never tire of watching them. In order to fully express the artistic conception of poetry, Hanlin painters have greatly improved their composition and techniques. Emphasizing the perfection of composition, the narrative content is centered on "things", and the purpose of composition is to show the plot clearly, just like a person's speech, what to express should not only be clear, but also have taste and cultural connotation. Focus on "meaning" with poetic content, and convey poetic artistic conception through a certain scene. A painting has only one artistic conception, that is, it must have a central point and a clear theme. Therefore, the courtyard painting in Song Dynasty pays great attention to the relationship between reality and priority. The screen pays attention to trade-offs, rejecting everything that has nothing to do with creativity, leaving room for imagination. When you see the courtyard paintings in Song Dynasty, you will feel fresh, clean and charming, which is its attractive feature.