Edgar Degas is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist. He is especially identified with the subject of the dance, and over half Edgar Degas Paintings depict dancers. These display his mastery in the depiction of movement, as do his racecourse subjects and female nudes. His portraits are considered to be among the finest in the history of art.

About Edgar Degas: The French Artist, Edgar Degas was born in Paris, France in a family of moderately wealthy. Edgar Degas is often identified as an Impressionist, an understandable but insufficient description.The Impressionists painted the realities of the world around them using bright, "dazzling" colors, concentrating primarily on the effects of light, and hoping to infuse their scenes with immediacy.Technically, Edgar Degas differs from the Impressionists in that, as art historian Frederick Hartt says, he "never adopted the Impressionist color fleck".