Texture is a vital part of our daily lives. We like our towels fluffy and our cereal crunchy. We experience textures in the world primarily through touch. Once we know a texture through touch, we can recall the sensation each time we see it without physically touching it again and again.
Texture is the surface quality of an artwork.
The range of textures found in art is always expanding as new materials and techniques are explored. Look at illustration 1-11 on page 9. On the floor we see the traditional texture of paint brushed onto a flat surface. In your textbook read pages 93 through 97. In Mary Cassatt's painting on page 47, the texture is similar to that in the Manet painting of the oysters.