Did real ancient Greeks look anything like the paintings and statues they made to represent themselves?
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Some of the Greeks would have looked like the paintings and sculptures they created, and certainly they did early on. But not all. The Greeks developed a system for what they considered the "Ideal Human Form." They had an idea of a perfect human body, perfect form, perfect look, and that was much of what was depicted in their art. Considering that their society revolved around ideal gods and goddesses, they created them in forms of perfection that remained in most of their art. The proportions weren't quite realistic, but exaggerated and distorted to create a sense of beauty. Just as Western society had developed a perfect look, they created one as well. But that's not how they started, they were engaged in a more accurate realism in the beginning, but evolved into creating perfection in their works, to create idols and ideals. They became like superhumans, the perfection evident in all their works - they were seeking and aspiring to beauty and magnificence in the depiction of humans.