藝術的最高境界乃在追求真、善、美，這似乎是深植人心的普遍概念。然而何謂藝術之「真」？真可以是忠於原委的事實(fact)，可以是具體存在的真實(reality)，也可以是合於邏輯的真確或普世認同的真理(truth)。長久以來，藝術被視為是對自然的模仿，是現實世界的再現(representation)，因此如何使人為的圖像具備真實感，曾經是藝術家所致力追尋的目標。十九世紀攝影術的發明，為現代藝術帶來革命性的衝擊，機械複製技術的仿真能力，促使人們重新檢視藝術模擬真實(simulation)的價值。二十世紀末，拜電腦科技之賜，藝術家掌握了更強有力的創作媒體，創造出更具真實感的視覺意象，並藉由與觀眾形成互動，讓真實與虛幻之間的界線更加模糊。面對超越傳統視聽經驗的當代數位藝術，我們將如何以新的認知來看待藝術之「真」？本文探討西方美學對於藝術本質中有關「真」的論述；檢視「真」對於藝術，特別是視覺藝術的意義；進一步分析當代數位藝術對於人類感知的衝擊，為藝術之「真」尋找新的定位。

The highest realm of art is the quest for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. This seems to be a universal belief held by all people at a very deep level. But what is the idea of "Truth" or "Reality" in art? It can be the factuality attached to an original fact. It can be the reality existing in a concrete form. It can also be a logical truth or an agreed-upon truth. For a long time, art was taken to be an imitation of nature, a representation of the real world. Thus, how to give man-made images an idea of truth or a sense of reality was one of the goals that artists aimed towards. The invention of photography in the 19th century was a revolutionary impact on art. The ability of mechanical reproduction techniques to simulate the reality has spurred people to review the value of simulation in art. By the end of the 20th century, the development of computer technology enabled artists to master more powerful media and to create visual images that look real. Moreover, the interactive effect created by the new medium has blurred the division between reality and illusion. When considering modern digital art, which goes beyond the traditional audio-visual experience, it is a great challenge to cognize the reality of art by using a completely new vision. In this article I explored, from the viewpoint of Western aesthetics, how the idea of reality and truth were addressed when discussing the nature of art. I attempted to examine the meaning of the "real" in art, especially visual art. I also analyzed the impact of contemporary digital art on human perception and ultimately tried to find a new position for the "real" in art.