“I would argue that artists are profoundly exploited.
And you would be full of BS.”
Self-exploited.
Yes, there were artists who were not appreciated in their time that we now think were brilliant but they were the minority. A very tiny minority.
Most good artists were able to support themselves because they had talent and talent coupled with showing up and doing the job will result in money.
And, here is the little bit they miss, if you are not capable of showing up and doing the job your art will be slapdash and pedestrian at best and mostly nonexistent at worse. Those who cry about how working for money is "betraying my art" do not get that working for money teaches you things that working just when inspired does not. That being, how to plow through the boring bits. And there are a lot of boring bits.