Try this:
First, add an id and runat="server" to the body tag in aspx so that it can be referenced at code-behind:
<body id="mybody" runat="server">
Next, to add a css property to this body tag on codebehind, e.g.
mybody.Attributes.CssStyle.Add("background", "linear-gradient(#b53e36, #cccccc)");