It's almost counterintuitive — in the midst of the glorious chaos that is China as it modernizes itself, Chinese painters are technically spotless. In their hands, paint has been tamed, a tool with which they slickly create canvases with flawless surfaces that almost hide their workmanship.

With such controlled execution, they are almost too good for their own good. When technique is no longer the question — when skill has made anything possible — then what becomes important is content. Ludovic Bois of the gallery Chinese Contemporary, which has locations in London, Beijing and recently opened a New York space, believes that there are two directions for art in China.

"The two new schools that are represented by the young generation are: The cartoon school, where artists create their own world influenced by the new glamour and the advertising society which surrounds them," Bois told The Japan Times last week at his New York gallery, "and the chaos school of other artists who are more concerned about the tensions in China, whether they are social, environmental or political. Both schools are in high demand, however cartoon art is more 'sellable' due to its more engaging subjects."