"All that we call ideal in Greek or any other art, because to us it is false and visionary, was, to the makers of it, true and existent"

John Ruskin’s observation on idealism in art addresses the profound difference between modern perceptions and the mindset of ancient artists. The works considered “ideal” by contemporary viewers, sculptures of the gods, grand mythological scenes, flawless human forms, might appear to be fanciful, unrealistic, or purely imaginative. To modern eyes, they can seem “false and visionary,” products of an aspirational imagination rather than representations tethered to real life. Yet, Ruskin argues, the creators of these works regarded what they depicted as both real and attainable. Their “ideal” forms, in philosophy and artistic convention, formed a true expression of the world as they understood and revered it.

For the Greeks, the divine, mythological, and heroic weren’t merely separate from daily life; they permeated it. Gods and legends expressed truths and ideals that shaped human society. When a Greek sculptor carved Athena or Apollo, the work was infused with the conviction that such beings existed, not in a literal material sense, but as presences that governed the world, models for human excellence, and guides to societal values. The perfect proportions and harmony striven for were not flights of fancy, but reflections of a reality perceived to be more profound and enduring than the everyday: a reality of order, beauty, and meaning.

Ruskin’s insight reveals that artistic ideals change alongside worldviews. What is “visionary” or even “illusory” to one time or culture might have been a concrete reality for another. The ideals in Greek art were genuine attempts at truth as experienced by the artists and their societies. Modern viewers, lacking those same beliefs, risk misunderstanding such works as disconnected from reality. Instead, understanding their rootedness in cultural and spiritual conviction illuminates why the ancients created as they did, and how deeply their art was wedded to how they saw the world.