Texture is the actual or implied (illusory) tactile quality of surface. We are concerned here only with the actual texture of surfaces; implied texture will be discussed in the section dealing with illusion. Surfaces can be smooth or rough, slick or grainy, soft or hard.
In painting, actual texture is the physical surface made by the paint.
Most paintings have a smooth surface. In some cases, however, the artist has applied the paint thickly so that areas of it stand out or project as bumps or ridges or layers on the surface (called impasto). The surfaces of Van Gogh’s paintings and Rembrandt's later paintings often show a rich impasto texture.
In contrast, other artists may apply very thin layers of paint, or very thin paint, to allow the texture of the support to show through.
Another type of texture found in paintings, but one that is usually unintended by the artist, is that produced by craquelure which is the irregular patterns of hairline cracks that occur in the paint and varnish of old paintings.
A variety of textures can be found in sculpture. In many cases, bronze, wood, or stone are polished to produce a smooth surface. However, a sculptor may deliberately leave some parts unpolished.
The surfaces of buildings can also have texture.
Texture can also be appreciated in more subtle ways. Different cultures may be differently predisposed towards texture.
SPACE
Space is perceived in terms of depth and distance (three-dimensional space).
These two terms tend to be used rather loosely, as if they were synonymous.
Depth describes a linear measurement from a point of view at the front to a point at the back.
Distance is a measure of separation; it describes the length or interval of the space between two objects.
Art historians may use the term space to describe both depth and distance, which can vary from one image to another.
In addition to line, shape, colour, and texture, a large number of images employ various devices to produce a sense of three-dimensional form, depth, and space.
With some notable exceptions, the history of art in Europe has been marked by a general desire to produce images that resemble our visual experience of the natural world.
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