Degas separated himself from other Impressionists because he thought of himself as more of a realist. He did not paint the usual impressionistic fare, such as open air landscapes, but preferred theatrical subject matter, often with artificial light. Ballet dancers are the subject of more than 600 of his works. He was influenced by Japanese prints, which led to paintings with subjects depicted at unusual angles in compositions that were often asymmetrical. Degas created many oil paintings when he was young, but began moving toward exclusively using pastels as he matured.
A signature technique in many Degas paintings is called "hatching." Lines are laid down on the canvas in parallel strokes, creating an area of color. The technique can be used to depict such things as swaying grass in the wind. As with most impressionists, Degas strove to capture a fleeting moment in time. To soften hard angles when capturing a movement, techniques, such as mixing dry and wet pastel, were used or adding watercolor to an image.
Degas' eyesight was failing by the 1880s and he stopped painting with oils and used only pastels. Subjects are depicted with bright vibrant colors in simple works that have a single subject or just a few figures. He concentrated on nudes and dancers, in light and airy compositions that emphasized an unposed, free subject. Details are secondary in these pastel works and tend to highlight a single, important gesture or a rich color or mood. A great many of these works show a woman in the bathroom, a practice that has since been considered to be striking and crude.
In later life, Degas created many sculptures. He was slowly going blind and the pastels and sculptures had now become his main output. Though some have said his pastel works are so vivid the subjects almost look like sculptures, he was equally talented at sculpting as he was at painting. Degas' sculptures are made of bronze or wax, depicting his usual subjects, such as dancers. Some of the statues wear authentic costumes. Degas only exhibited his sculptures publicly once. Degas continued to sculpt until five years before his death, when he was evicted from his studio.