Christian Berger examines repetition and experiment as central principles of the art of Edgar Degas (1834-1917). The design of the picture surface, composition and perspective, as well as the materiality of the media and the technical processes used - right down to the frame design - are examined from the aspect of experimental testing. The typological distinction between the various forms of repetition shows that Degas does not attempt to approach an (idealistic) idea of perfection, but rather focuses on the process character of artistic creation: Repetition offers him scope for exploring artistic possibilities. The author discusses this practice of Degas as a decisive departure from traditional work aesthetics and as an expression of a new, the cliché of a modernist artistic marriage.