Even worse, Huolong, Renaissance masters also used to have lots of apprentices who did most of the work. They'd mix the paint, prep the canvas/fresco/whatever, and, under the scrutinizing eye of the "master", paint the master's sketches. At this stage in one's career, the master was a "producer" or "director" of his creations, through his apprentices, and taking all of the credit. This isn't very analogous to what's being done in todays CG, but it shows the misconceptions that the true arteest struggled his way through every monumental masterpiece, weaving canvas, making paintbrushes, paints, and mediums, sketching and painting from some ethereal imagination only. No way! They relied on skilled craftsman, apprentices, and models more than we. And if you think that they didn't beg, borrow, and steal from one another - look again... And, silver, I like your analogy of "hiring people" and "purchasing models/textures/etc".