La Donna Velata

This painting (the original that is) is called La Donna Velata. It was painted by the immensely famous italian painter Raphael in 1516.  The painting is oil on canvas and it is of an un-identified woman named "La Fornarina". Raphael's mistresses, she was believed to be Raphaels ideal of beauty and was in many of his paintings. This painting pays more attention to the colours and texture of the skin and fabric of her dress than his other portraits. This painting uses a lot of white and gold tones, which widens his range from paintings past. This portrait led up to greater masterpieces by Raphael that would later be historical landmarks.
Raphael was born in 1483 and was a painter and architect during the high renaissance. He lived his early life in Italy and later moved to Rome for his career. Raphael grew up in Urbino, which was a small town but very relevant to the world of art. His father painted for the Duke of Urbino; art was prominent in Raphael's life from the start. Growing up in this small court taught Raphael excellent manners and social skills, although it is unclear how easily he read latin. He was orphaned at eleven and lived with his stepmother when he wasn't under an apprenticeship. It was clear the Raphael had talent from the beginning. His paintings are known for their amazing form, composition, and their ability to demonstrate human greatness, which was an important ideal at the time. He went on to created some of the world's most historic masterpeices including the Stanza della Segnatura, which is a fresco he created in the library of Julius II. It is considered one of his best pieces, competing against other painters at the time such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Together these three painters created some of the biggest masterpieces of the period, which are still admired today as pivotal pieces in the world of art. During the High Renaissance, art showed the idea of human greatness and often depicted scenes from the bible. Painters were considered "good" when they were able to make the painting look extremely realistic, which is why these men were commissioned to paint by people of high status/royalty.
The Renaissance was one of the most influential, important periods of art. It was a turning point in many fields in the arts and sciences. Painting before this era was not terribly accurate and lacked a lot of detail. They didn't have the correct shapes and details. Also, only religious work was considered worth anything. During the Renaissance people became fascinated by the beauty and anatomy of the human body, as well as the world as a whole. They studied important factors like light, shadow, and perspective. Painters wanted to depict the beauty of nature, not solely religion. They studied their subjects and thus created much more accurate and beautiful paintings.
Like any student in photo class, the world's painters needed to learn the rules before they could break them.

sources of info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/raphael/5roma/3/03velata.html
http://www.raphaelsanzio.org/slideshow.html
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/renaissance.asp