Why did many Western painters lose secure patronage during the 19th century?

During the 19th century, many Western painters lost secure patronage primarily due to the long-term decline of the church and the aristocracy as traditional sources of support. These groups had previously commissioned large-scale works, such as the painting of entire rooms, but their waning influence forced artists to rely on an anonymous market of buyers who typically purchased only single easel paintings at a time.1

This shift left artists vulnerable to the tastes of a bourgeois public, which often diverged from the creative goals of significant painters. Because state-supported academies of art controlled public exhibitions—which became essential for an artist's success—those who did not conform to academic aesthetic standards frequently found themselves excluded from official patronage.1

While some artists found success through the rise of commercial art dealers and public exhibitions, others, such as the Impressionists, were forced to break from the establishment entirely to exhibit their work independently.123