[Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese xieyi (drawing the "spirit of the beings") art is the theme of an ongoing exhibition in Athens.

The show, Chinese Xieyi, is being held at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in the Greek capital through Nov 14.

It displays 58 paintings and sculptures from the collection of the National Art Museum of China.

The collections show that two main approaches have been adopted by generations of Chinese artists — xieyi style that marks the importance of lines or strokes on canvas and gongbi style that highlights a meticulous depiction of subjects. The spirit of xieyi is presented not only in classic Chinese art but also works of many contemporary artists whatever the medium.

The exhibition is part of a continuous effort by the National Art Museum of China to promote Chinese cultural traditions abroad.

In the past five years, it has exhibited at museums in Poland, France, Mexico and Singapore.