d the universal, independent, so far as possible,
of the individual, and sought by a union of all elements to produce
perfect harmony. The Harmonist of the Renaissance is his title. And
this harmony extended to a blending of thought, form, and expression,
heightening or modifying every element until they ran together with
such rhythm that it could not be seen where one left off and another
began. He was the very opposite of Michael Angelo. The art of the
latter was an expression of individual power and was purely
subjective. Raphael's art was largely a unity of objective beauties,
with the personal element as much in abeyance as was possible for his
time.

His education was a cultivation of every grace of mind and hand. He
assimilated freely whatever he found to be good in the art about him.
A pupil of Perugino originally, he levied upon features of excellence
in Masaccio, Fra Bartolommeo, Leonardo, Michael Angelo. From the first
he got tenderness, from the second drawing, from the third color and
composition, from the fourth charm, from the fifth force. Like an
eclectic Greek he drew from all sources, and then blended and united
these features in a peculiar style of his own and stamped them with
his peculiar Raphaelesque stamp.

In subject Raphael was religious and mythological, but he was imbued
with neither of these so far as the initial spirit was concerned. He
looked at all subjects in a calm, intellectual, artistic way. Even the
celebrated Sistine Madonna is more intellectual than pietistic, a
Christian Minerva ruling rather than helping to save the world. The
same spirit ruled him in classic and theological themes. He did not
feel them keenly or execute them passionately--at least there is no
indication of it in his work. The doing so would have destroyed unity,
symmetry, repose. The theme was ever held in check by a regard for
proportion and rhythm. To keep all artistic elements in perfect
equilibrium, allowing no one to predominate, seemed the mainspring of
his action, and in doing this he created that harmony which his
admirers sometimes refer to as pure beauty.

For his period and school he was rather remarkable technically. He
excelled in everything except brush-work, which was never brought to
maturity in either Florence or Rome. Even in color he was fine for
Florence, though not equal to the Venetians. In composition,
modelling, line, even in texture painting (see his portraits) he was a
man of accompl