The reason it limited the pool of artists was the much higher cost of doing art back then. Not just the cost of materials either; most people spent their entir

The reason it limited the pool of artists was the much higher cost of doing art back then. Not just the cost of materials either; most people spent their entire lives doing backbreaking labor effectively all the time they were awake. They couldn't have created art even if they had been gifted with the materials. Artists had to be supported by "gifts" of food and shelter and all the other basics we almost take for granted today.