Brendan S. Carroll reviews the exhibition Material Tak at Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, New Jersey, on view through July 15, 2012.

Carroll writes: "What can contemporary abstract painting tell us about the medium today, and why does it continue to stir the soul? To answer these questions, artist Kara Rooney, the curator of Material Tak at Panepinto Galleries, selected five painters who range in age, professional experience and formal approach. Artists include Mark Dagely, Kati Vilim, Jsun Laliberte, Peter Fox and Anne Sherwood Pundyk. The result is an invigorating exhibition, with some knockout paintings. I did not want to leave the gallery and I cannot remember the last time I had that feeling."