"Through his representation of modern subjects such as ballet dancers and racehorses, his constant questioning of traditional artistic practices, and his vital engagement with Parisian society, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) helped to define the beginnings of modernism in visual culture at the end of the nineteenth century. This book yields new scholarship on works by Degas in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery and provides in-depth discussion of works of art in every medium explored by this innovative artist."--BOOK JACKET.