Edgar Degas is often grouped with the Impressionists, but he preferred to call himself a 'Realist.' He was obsessed with the theme of movement, which led him to paint and sculpt the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. His most famous sculpture, 'The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer,' was revolutionary because it was made of wax and wore real silk ribbons, a muslin tutu, and a wig of human hair. When it was exhibited in 1881, critics were horrified, calling the dancer 'ugly' and comparing her to a specimen in a medical museum. Degas wasn't interested in idealized beauty; he wanted to show the grueling physical labor and the social reality of the young 'opera rats' (as the dancers were known). After his death, over 150 wax sculptures were found in his studio, which were then cast in bronze for museums around the world.