In the mid-1870s Degas experimented with pastels. They offered him several advantages including the ability to work more quickly on his experimental pieces. He used sharper colors and gave greater attention to surface patterns. Degas also experimented with different techniques in his lithographs and etchings. By the end of the 1870s he began to work with Camille Pissaro and Mary Cassatt in the area of graphic design.
The 1890s saw more of Degas’ work focused on dancers, bathers, and jockeys and once again his attention turned to the countryside and landscapes. He also began to turn more towards sculpture. His style did not see any dramatic changes though the dimension to his work did change a bit. He used to paint entire troupes of dancers but now he just focused on a few dancers at a time. This might have been due to the fact that his eye sight was failing him.
The first signs of eye trouble began during the war and Degas believed that since that time he was slowly going blind. Degas continued to work and fight through the troubling eyesight until about 1912. At that time, his friend Suzanne Valadon suggested that Degas move from his apartment to one that was better suited for his condition. Degas died in Paris, on September 27, 1917 and was buried in the cemetery of Montmartre.