The desire to draw grew since his childhood. However, his father wanted him to be a lawyer but Edgar had no great desire and ability to law, and the family's wealth allowed him to paint and not to care really about food. Without any money need, Degas could afford not to sell their works and work on them again and again, striving for perfection. 

Degas sought to reach the "realism" as well as "naturalism" of his works, despite the fact that the two terms are often replaced. 

His mates called him "the painter of dancers" because, even then, his ballet scenes have achieved an incredible success thanks to his manner of showing the world of grace and beauty without falling into excessive sentimentality. 

Degas' art is characterized by a combination of beautiful, sometimes fantastic, and prosaic. Fascinated by the diversity and mobility of urban life, he created his modern Paris (streets, theater, cafes, horse racing) in continuously changing aspects. Degas' works, with their strictly verified composition (asymmetric, dynamic fragmentary film shoot), with their precise and flexible pattern, unexpected angles, active interaction of the figure and space (often as if it lied in the plane), combine apparent impartiality and randomness with careful thoughtfulness and accurate calculation.