As an artist, I can safely say that art is not always a realistic photographic depiction of life. For instance, in figure drawing, I usually follow the ideal canon of drawing my human figures eight heads high. However, in reality, the average human is typically seven-and-a-half heads high. Drawing humans following the real versus drawing them following the ideal often ends up with heads that look too big for the bodies. The average isn't as appealing as the ideal, even though the average is closer to reality for most human figures.
Some things are done in art to be appealing to the eye, or to attract attention, or to make a point, not to reflect reality. Art may have many reasons to depart from reality. At times, there may be artistic reasons behind such a departure from reality. At other times, there may be marketing reasons behind it. Sometimes, it may simply be a matter of what's most appealing to the eye.
Should I start drawing my human figures seven-and-a-half heads high instead of eight heads high because seven-and-a-half heads high is more realistic for the average human? I don't think so! Figures eight heads high look better to me than those seven-and-a-half heads high. Some of my early attempts at figure drawing did end up with heads too big, and they looked wrong.
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