《嶺南庭園與居氏畫家》
嶺南庭園歷史悠久，最早可追溯至南漢時期，其風格精巧絕妙。嶺南庭園的精妙之處在於植物間的配搭多元，相互輝映；花果繁盛，引人入勝。這些造園的技巧渾然天成，儼如鬼斧神工；可遊可居，可畫可樂，雅俗共賞，誠為上上之作。嶺南庭園的設計精緻，可謂成就了嶺南畫派，其花鳥畫尤為出眾明顯。
東莞可園為嶺南四大名園，建於清朝道光三十年（1850年），乃清官張敬修（1824-1864）辭官回鄉後所建。張敬修邀請了居巢（1811-1865）和居廉（1828-1904）客居可園近十年，可園中的花卉草蟲與庭園融為一體，彷如一幅上妙之畫作，對居氏兄弟的畫風有著深遠的影響，亦造就了他們在畫壇上的成就。
居巢寫生的題材與可園密不可分，可園滿園春色、鳥語花香、四季常綠、陽光充沛，這種得天獨厚的氣候環境使各種花卉四時不絕；園主經常不惜重金、不計路程為可園蒐集各種奇花異卉，供二居寫生，使居巢的花鳥草蟲畫作中，較多以嶺南時卉為主題。
居廉一生所畫的作品大多為小品畫，因為可園的佔地面積狹小，觀賞花卉草蟲的距離有限，其取景的尺度多為近觀。久而久之，他便擅於以小見大，對小品畫的拿捏更是得心應手。可見，可園的建築設計在一定程度上影響著居廉的繪畫規格。
居氏兄弟在可園居住的這十年間，一直醉心於園內寫生，畫藝大進，並為他們在日後創造沒骨畫法、撞水及撞粉技法打下了重要的基礎。可見，二居的創作與嶺南庭園之間有著密切的淵源關係，兩者相互輝映，使他們流芳百世。
“Lingnan Garden and Two Jus”
Lingnan gardens have a long history, dating back as far as the Southern Han Dynasty, and their style is exquisite. The subtlety of Lingnan gardens lies in the diversity of the planting, the interplay of flowers and fruits, and the attractiveness of the gardens. The gardening techniques are as natural as they are ingenious; they can be used for pleasure, painting and entertainment. The exquisite design of Lingnan's gardens has led to the creation of the Lingnan school of painting, and its flower and bird paintings are particularly notable.
The Keyuan is one of the four famous gardens in Lingnan. Zhang Jingxiu (1824-1864) was the owner of the Keyuan and an officer who worked for the Qing empire. After he resigned from his work and returned to his hometown, he began to build the Keyuan in 1850. He invited Ju Chao (1811 - 1865) and Ju Lian (1828 - 1904) to live in the garden for nearly ten years. The integration of the floral and herbaceous structures of Keyuan with those of the Lingnan gardens gave it a favourable environment and had a profound influence on the painting style of the Ju brothers, resulting in their achievements in the field of painting.
The subject matter of Ju Chao’s sketching was also inextricably linked to Keyuan, which was a magnificent garden surrounded by flowers and plants; because of the unique climate environment. In addition, Zhang often spent much money and travelled far away to collect different kinds of flowers and plants for Keyuan and provided them to Jus to sketch. Ju Chao’s paintings of flowers, birds, grasses, and insects were more often based on Lingnan seasonal flowers.
Most of Ju Lian’s artworks were miniature paintings. Because of the small size of the garden and the limited distance for viewing flowers, plants, and insects, he could take a closer look at the scenery. Over time, he became adept at painting small works to see the big picture, and he was even more comfortable painting miniature paintings. The architectural design of Keyuan influenced Ju Lian’s painting to a certain extent.
During the ten years that Jus lived in the Keyuen, the Jus brothers were devoted to sketching in the garden. Their painting skills have significantly improved, laying an essential foundation for their future creation of the “boneless technique” techniques, water infusion, and powder infusion. It is evident that there is a close relationship between the artworks of the Jus brothers and the Lingnan garden and that the two reflect each other, making them famous for centuries to come.