[Duchess]

Degas is best known as an Impressionist and was a prominent member, if not the strongest promoter, of the group. He was outspoken about the need for artists to join together and establish a place for themselves as proponents of a new, contemporary artistic sensibility. Degas organized what is now known as the first Impressionist exhibition and planned many of the subsequent shows. He initially called himself and his compatriots "realists," which pointed to their interest in drawing inspiration from their own environments and experiences. The term "impressionist" was adopted later, at the time of the third Impressionist exhibition, despite Degas’s objections to the name. Degas allied himself with other Impressionists, such as Pissarro, met with them at the famous Café Guerbois, and participated in all but one of the eight Impressionist exhibitions.

~www.metmuseum.org

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhAdJdHkiZw"]YouTube- Edgar Degas[/ame]