Edgar Degas (July 19, 1834-September 27 1917), born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, is regarded as one of the founding members of the school of Impressionism, though he was hesitant to adopt the term. Degas's self-description as a Realist is perhaps more accurate when considering his exacting draftsmanship, meticulous casting and sculpture, and vibrant paintings. Unlike his contemporaries such as Claude Monet, Degas took little interest in painting en plein air, and his preferred subjects were theatres, caf_s, and dance halls of late-nineteenth-century Paris, as well as scenes of daily life of the working class. His mastery of the depiction of movement makes his portraits of dancers (which number over 1,500) some of the most renowned images of fin-de-sicle Paris. As his life and career progressed, Degas became fascinated with emerging artistic techniques, and began experimenting with media such as gouache, photography, and engraving. Toward the end of his life, Degas's vision became increasingly poor, forcing him to turn his focus to sculpture until his death in 1917. 

View all of Edgar Degas's work.