Ascension 2000

Ray Howlett made this sculpture, Ascension, from cast acrylic. Its themes of geometry and light link it to California’s Light and Space movement. The Light and Space movement emerged in Southern California during the 1960s, alongside a burgeoning aerospace industry. Artists were drawn to the industrial materials used in aircraft production. They also sought to dematerialize the art object and allow for heightened perceptual experiences. Howlett’s sculpture plays with transparency and reflection. Its sleek, hard edges seem to evoke a sense of industrial progress and technological optimism. The Light and Space artists were also influenced by the ideas of Minimalism, which sought to reduce art to its essential forms. However, it’s important to remember that artists are individuals working in specific institutional and social contexts. Detailed biographical research into Howlett's life and the California art scene can help us understand the many forces that shaped this sculpture.