Wasn’t the criticism of photography kind of correct though? I don’t think people think of photography as an art as much as painting is an art. There aren’t a lot of photographs that a layman couldn’t in principle also take, but only a few people could replicate a good painting.

It's not exactly correct. Photography is just as much an art, but it's a very different medium and pieces are judged differently.

Realism isn't difficult, so critique shifts towards composition, narrative, context, process, and emotional impact.

Taking a clear photograph is easy with modern equipment, which means the bar for what's considered "good" is high.

i think that's just you