Today, art doesn't have as much vital importance as it had hundred of years ago, and it's not supported the way it was hundreds of years ago. Life became too crowded with modern constrictions, technology, machinery, pollution, etc. I don't know anybody who can do it as well as it was done then, though I am among the crazy ones to strive for it.
Actually, I think that the situation is exactly the opposite. There is VASTLY less pollution in our environment today than there was 100 years ago. Remember, we had streets filled with horse manure and buildings were heated with burning coal or wood everywhere. Sewage was often dumped directly into waterways too.
As for modern technology, it is not a "constriction", it is quite liberating. Consider how many more hours of time you have today to spend making art compared to the days when cooking meant building a fire, washing dishes meant an hour at the sink? How many more hours were required to wash your clothes before the advent of the washing machine? How much longer did it take to travel around before the advent of the automobile? How long did it take to write a letter before the invention of typewriters or email? You can spend LOADS more time creating art today than you might have been able to 100 or more years ago, and technology is a big part of the reason.
-- Brian
