Texturality

Texturality is a multidisciplinary concept that describes the quality, organization, and perception of texture in a given medium. It encompasses tactile texture—the roughness or smoothness felt by touch—visual texture perceived in surfaces and patterns, and the figurative texture of sound, language, or imagery. Texturality foregrounds how surface quality shapes meaning, mood, and perception beyond color or form.

In visual arts, texturality refers to the perceptual and material qualities of a surface. Artists may reveal actual texture through relief, impasto, or collage, or create implied texture through brushwork, pattern, and light. The study of texturality considers how texture affects legibility, atmosphere, and the viewer’s physical or emotional engagement with the work.

In literature and film, texturality describes the layered texture of narrative and sensory detail. It concerns the density of description, the cadence of language, and the arrangement of scenes or images to create a sense of milieu. Texturality can reveal social textures, character networks, or historical context that enrich interpretation.

In music, texture (and by extension texturality) denotes the vertical and horizontal organization of sound—monophony, polyphony, homophony, and beyond. Texturality considers how these relationships evolve across a piece and how texture affects pacing, emphasis, and emotional effect.

In digital media and design, texturality engages with surface representation through texture mapping, material-inspired interfaces, and the perception of depth. Researchers analyze texturality through perceptual studies, phenomenology, and material culture approaches to understand how texture informs usability and experience.