Importance of Texture

Serena Cuoghi
Title of Professor of Biology

One of the most pleasant qualities that we can experience through touch is the sensation caused by the various textures of objects. Being able to perceive this condition gives us valuable information about part of the physical nature of the things that surround us, and with it also being able to express and evoke emotions in certain contexts, participating in a discreet way among the resources of our language verbal. If you touch a sheet of printer paper and then touch a brick, you will surely realize that both do not produce the same stimulation to your sense of touch. The sheet of paper will seem smooth to you, due to its smooth condition, but the brick will be rough and you may even withdraw your hand when touching it because you don't like it.

Although there is no permanent conscious attention on the perception of texture, it is one of the qualities that has the most interaction with this state of mind, easily attracting our attention, becoming, together with color, one of the predominant factors when it comes to selecting the things that we buy, for example, when making food purchases we evaluate the state in which fruits and vegetables are found from different valuations, The texture provides us with considerable information about the state of freshness in which they can be found by previously knowing what the texture is. corresponds to its optimal state.

between softness and hardness

The visual sensation that the texture transmits to us gives us a first impression about this quality in the object, that information in most cases becomes a promoting factor for wanting to touch the object or, on the contrary, move away from it, feeling a rejection that prevents us from possible injuries, therefore, it can be said that the perception of texture allows us: 1) to make a prior assessment of the conditions of things; 2) make conscious decisions for contact with certain objects and surfaces; and 3) react subconsciously avoiding taking risks when rubbing against textures that can physically hurt us.

On the one hand, things we judge to be soft on the eye automatically ignite a desire to feel the pleasure of touching them, while on the other we contemplate the rough shapes from a prudential distance, being that way we unconsciously perceive reality, that there are more and more manufactured products based on pleasing not only to the eye, but also to the touch, taking advantage of it as a great strategy to increase sales by stores that At present they incorporate the stimulation of the various senses, for a more emotional experience in the selection and purchase process, both of goods and of services.

The different formations on the surface of any object is called texture, what is the arrangement of all the particles that make up the object and that through the sense of touch can be identified and recognized. However, within the textures, there are two large classifications: on the one hand, there are the natural textures, present in objects of the nature, such as the texture of a leaf of any plant or the skin of an animal. Other examples could be a stone, the trunk of a tree or also the texture of the floor. Then the category of artificial textures, includes all those that have been created by the human hand, as is the case of paper, plastic, of the fabrics and as the example of before, of a brick for example.

the pleasure of playing

From birth, the sense of touch is the one that presents the greatest development along with smell, a biological condition that allows the baby to feel around in the environment until finding to the mother to provide itself with food, a natural instinct that is not lost through growth but, quite the contrary, remains predominant throughout life. As a consequence of this, the first educational experiences of the human being are generated precisely through touch, since the perception of The texture becomes a factor of permanent assessment of the environment, serving as a didactic resource with great impact on children through to the extent that fine and gross motor skills are stimulated, as well as the association of reality on the various existing materials and shapes.

This way of connecting with the outside world is what leads us towards the permanent search for physical contact, through a deep association with the states emotions, an act that leads us to the habit of surrounding ourselves with objects with soft textures in order to enjoy their calming benefits, while the textures rougher are usually used in external elements that evoke a certain level of protection, a trend that is widely used in landscaping, exterior design and architecture.

noticing changes

Similarly, the visual arts also make great use of texture within the development of the various images and works, with greater emphasis on areas such as sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, painting and design, who through the game with the various expressive elements, give the possibility of the most wide variety of perceptible textures, both by sight and by touch, a condition that in turn allows the use of texture as a resource expressive to transcend art above the visual difficulties that may exist, offering a new mechanism of interaction between art and the viewer through haptic perception, which is being used as an inclusive model, but also as a new trend towards enjoyment and art contemplation.

Texture is a key component in art, which is defined as an irregularity within a continuous surface, and that due to the fact that textures are perceived through touch, precisely from these variations from the surface of a work, the artist seeks to stimulate the sense of those who appreciate the work, also awakening So sensations and deeper emotions, and more internalized than the simple physical contact of touch with the work.

But besides this, There are textures that can also be perceived through the view, as for example we can visually differentiate a fine fabric shirt from a wool woven jacket. Even without touching it, we can have an idea that both textures are different and even, because before we have experienced tactile contact with texture, we can even imagine how it feels to touch the.

For this reason, and through professional techniques, artists often resort to methods of representation that facilitate that the represented object has a marked credibility with the real object itself, and that in this way the work has a "realism" before the sight of whoever observes the work of art. The senses are the gateway to all the stimuli around us, and in the profession of artists, "awakening" the senses is a primary task.

References

Dezcallar Saez, T. (2012). Relationship between mental processes and haptic sense: emotions and memories through empirical analysis of textures. Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Medina Rodriguez, A. (2020). Sensations that textures provide through textiles. National Unified Corporation of Higher Education CUN.

Molina Gonzalez, M. no. (2019). Well-being, spaces and perceptions: design through touch. Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon.

Pakman, M. (2014). Textures of the imagination (Vol. 302609). Editorial Gedisa.