Not until he was 21.
Ingres
He was an impressionist.
He was a full time artist.
Edgar Degas.
He was an artist all his life.
The anagrams are saged and the proper noun Degas (famous artist Edgar Degas).
A SELF-portrait is painted of the artist by himself. So, Degas himself.
There is usually one and the same answer to those questions 'Why did XXX become an artist?' Because they felt they had the talent and the urge. It is as simple as that!
Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec created artworks in Paris that featured dancers.
The french painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was famous for both his painting and scupltures of dancers. Google the painting 'Ballet Rehearsal' or 'Little Dancer of Fourteen Years' to see some of his best work.
edgar degas
influenced by renaissance artist he went to art school and found himself stuck in