1.2.5: Texture
- Page ID
- 256353
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by Dr. Asa Simon Mittman
Texture is an element that appeals to our sense of touch. Whether the texture is an actual surface or merely the visual illusion of a texture, the sense of touch is triggered in our thoughts and feelings.
Surface texture
Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog has a perfectly smooth, mirrored surface. Like many textures, it is difficult to resist touching, though we must. Our sense of touch is one of the main ways we understand our world and it is amazing to consider how the sense of touch can still be triggered through what we see, the same psychological and emotional response can occur, evoking feelings and memories of when we have touched similar surfaces in our past.
In contrast to the smoothness above, the coarse, bristly surface of an ancient Shang Dynasty Fang-Ding—a ritual vessel used in worshipping dead ancestors—grants the work a vibrant energy that is, perhaps, less inviting to touch.
The illusion of texture
The illusion of texture is no less important to our experience of artworks.
Dutch still life paintings are justly famous for their careful, illusionistic replication of objects. The smooth silver plates and glass goblet of Pieter Claesz’s Still Life seem to tease us, as do the rougher cookies and breads, and the crumbly pie. The knife handle, pointing out of the image toward us, seems just beyond our grasp, and therefore makes this magnificent spread all the more tantalizing.
When engaging works of art, notice what textures you see and consider how they affect your sense of touch. What does a particular texture seem to convey and how does this relate to what the other elements are bringing to the artwork?