Degas’ ballerinas were a regular subject of his works. He also liked to depict racehorses and jockeys. Another one of his favorite genres was portraiture. His scenes were often likened to photographs - snapshots of certain moments in time, captured forever on canvas. It is said that the muted colors in Degas’ dancers' paintings were also influenced by the color palette typically found in photographs from that era. Whatever the topic, the most notable feature of his works was the contemporary subject matter rendered in a classical style.