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What NASA chief Jared Isaacman is looking for in the coming days as Artemis II loops around the moon

April 5, 2026 / 1:12 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined on Sunday the most critical moments he expects in the coming days as Artemis II astronauts continue their journey around the far side of the moon, describing it as a key test mission in the quest to return humans to the lunar surface.

The Artemis II mission launched last week, marking the first piloted moonshot since the end of the Apollo program more than five decades ago. On Monday, the operation’s four crew members are set to surpass the Apollo 13 record for the farthest distance from Earth that humans have traveled.

“The primary objective right now for this phase of the mission is continuing to gather data from the ECLS system, the life support system on the Orion spacecraft,” Isaacman said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

The mission is intended as a test flight to lay the groundwork for future efforts to land astronauts on the moon, traveling in a crew capsule known as the Orion. Isaacman noted that “this is the first time we’ve ever had humans onboard the Orion spacecraft.”

“We want to gather as much data as we possibly can for that,” he said. “Of course, there’s various science experiments, there’s lunar observations, but learning as much as we can about Orion is critically important, because Artemis III is a year away.”

Isaacman outlined that Artemis III, slated to launch in mid-2027, will test the same spacecraft with lunar landers, followed by Artemis IV in 2028, “where we’re going to use this spacecraft, transfer crew to the landers, and put American astronauts back on the surface of the moon.”

Humans have not visited the moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The Artemis II astronauts are set to make history Monday as the first humans to see some parts of the far side of the moon. Isaacman said, “after a 250,000-mile journey away from Earth to the far side of the moon, it would be pretty hard to keep them away from those windows.”

Asked by CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe what the astronauts will be looking for, Isaacman said they will have “observational responsibilities,” with a series of different cameras and data collection duties.

“But all of this comes together to inform subsequent missions like Artemis III, but most importantly now Artemis IV, which is where we’re going to actually get those astronauts back on the surface,” Isaacman said.

Isaacman is a billionaire entrepreneur and a veteran private astronaut, who has strong ties to SpaceX founder Elon Musk. He was the first private citizen to carry out a spacewalk.

The spacecraft carrying the Artemis II crew is expected to temporarily lose communications with Earth for an estimated period of about 40 minutes Monday as it travels around the far side of the moon. But Isaacman said it’s “something we’re very used to in space flight mission control.”

“Astronauts are used to that as they go through training,” he said.

For Isaacman, he said he’ll be thinking about the life support systems on the vehicle as they travel around the moon. But most importantly, he said, “I’m thinking about the thermal protection systems and when these astronauts are under parachute, safely in the water, so we can get them back to their families.”

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Trump admin urges restoring ballroom construction in emergency motion: ‘Time is of the essence’

April 5, 2026 12:00pm EDT / Fox News

DOJ motion argues ‘this order is untenable,’ puts Trump security at risk

By Eric Mack Fox News

The ‘Outnumbered’ panel examines President Donald Trump’s reaction to the ruling halting the White House ballroom project.

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6 min

The Trump administration filed an emergency motion to restore White House ballroom reconstruction, warning “time is of the essence” and saying President Donald Trump and his staff’s “security and safety” are at risk by the judge’s “untenable” ruling.

In the filing, Justice Department lawyers said the partially built project includes “deep Top Secret excavations, foundations, and structures” that must be completed quickly to protect sensitive construction and security features from exposure.

“This order is untenable and must be stayed in that the building is under construction, with deep Top Secret excavations, foundations, and structures, already built, and ready to receive heavily fortified, for security reasons, steel, bullet, ballistic, and blast proof glass, and drone proof roofing materials, which must be finished quickly, and not allowed to be exposed to the conditions and elements of an open construction site,” Friday night’s motion urges.

“Time is of the essence!”

JUDGE WARNS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AGAINST ‘IRREVERSIBLE’ WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION WORK

President Donald Trump displayed renderings of the privately funded $400 million White House ballroom project that is being blocked by a recent injunction issued by a federal judge.(Mandel Ngan/AFP)

The appeal asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to stay U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order halting the project, which Leon ruled cannot proceed without congressional approval.

The administration argues the judge himself acknowledged that work needed to secure the White House grounds and protect the president and staff can continue.

“In granting this shocking, unprecedented, and improper injunction, one that could have been sought long ago, prior to the start of construction (in that there was full knowledge, through large scale media attention and publicity, that the White House ballroom was planned to be built, and there would have been a great deal of time for them to object, long before the start of construction, even though their objection would likewise have been baseless and frivolous), the district court took the erroneous, sweeping view that Congress did not authorize the ballroom construction at the White House — yet correctly allows construction ‘necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds, including the ballroom construction site, and provide for the personal safety of the President and his staff,’” the DOJ argued.

WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS CALLING TRUMP’S MASSIVE ARCH ‘TOO BIG’

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389703165112
Also, the lawyers wrote, the judge ignored the administration’s overtures to have him visit the site to see the privately funded $400 million project.

“The judge was given an opportunity to see the construction taking place at the site, but surprisingly, never responded to our invitation,” Trump Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate wrote.

Preservationists challenging the construction say the administration unlawfully bypassed federal review and authorization requirements, but the DOJ rejected the judge’s claims that congressional approval is needed for a privately funded ballroom.

WHITE HOUSE TOUTS TRUMP’S ‘BOLD VISION’ FOR TOWERING INDEPENDENCE ARCH FOR AMERICA 250

A rendering of the proposed White House ballroom shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Feb. 3, 2025.(Donald Trump/Truth Social)

“For decades, Congress has vested the President with overlapping statutory authorities that allow the President to make the improvements he deems necessary to White House grounds and structures,” Shumate wrote. “Yet, a district judge ordered the President to halt ongoing reconstruction of the East Wing of the White House by April 14, leaving a massive excavation and structurally completed site adjacent to the now open and exposed Executive Mansion and threatening grave national-security harms to the White House, the President and his family, and the President’s staff.”

“Almost 400 Million Dollars of private donations and contributions (No taxpayer dollars are being used to build this long sought, and desperately needed, ballroom!) have already been committed, or spent, in the purchase of heavy, large scale, and other types of building materials. The path to this injunction confirms its unfairness, untenability, and danger to the White House and the people working and living within its walls,” he added.

TRUMP PAUSES OIL EXEC SUMMIT TO PEEK AT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM’S PROGRESS

A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the new ballroom.(White House)

The new motion filed by the National Park Service said the federal district court lacks the constitutional authority “to entertain this suit, which rests on a single pedestrian’s subjective architectural feelings.”

The initial lawsuit against the construction was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, alleging Trump exceeded his authority when he razed the historic East Wing and launched construction on the new building.

Friday’s motion argues the claims are “legally baseless” and “no Trust member has standing.”

TRUMP ADMIN DEFENDS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM AS NATIONAL SECURITY MATTER

A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the new ballroom.(White House)

“The President has complete authority to renovate the White House,” Shumate concluded.

The East Wing was originally built in 1902 and expanded four decades later during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency.

The ballroom is part of Trump’s broader push to reshape Washington’s monumental core, which also includes plans for a 250-foot (76-meter) arch and changes at the Trump Kennedy Center.

TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS IN COURT TO KEEP WHITE HOUSE EAST WING DEMOLITION, $300M BALLROOM BUILD ON TRACK

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6384928527112

“I would like to thank the hardworking Commissioners and Staff of the National Capital Planning Commission, who just voted overwhelmingly, 8-1, to approve the magnificent White House Ballroom now rising on this Hallowed Ground,” Trump wrote Thursday night on Truth Social.

“I am pleased to announce that even Board Member Senator Rand Paul, known as an extraordinarily difficult vote, voted a strong YES,” Trump said. “For more than 150 years, every President has dreamt about having a Ballroom at the White House to accommodate people for Grand Parties, State Visits, and even, in the Modern Day, Inaugurations.”

WARREN-LED INQUIRY DRAWS NEW DETAILS ON TRUMP BALLROOM DONATIONS FROM MAJOR CORPORATIONS

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387492555112
“I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project, which is on time and under budget, underway,” the president added. “When completed, it will be the Greatest and Most Beautiful Ballroom of its kind anywhere in the World, and a fabulous complement to our Beautiful and Storied White House!”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump has lamented legal challenges to his administration’s agenda, rebuking “rogue judges” siding with “baseless” Democrat lawyers and lawsuits.

“In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval,” Trump wrote this week on Truth Social. “He is WRONG! Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

安哥拉暴雨引发山洪导致15人死 数千户家庭受灾

2026年4月5日 23:12 / 联合早报

非洲国家安哥拉各地遭遇暴雨侵袭，造成15人死亡，4000多户家庭受灾。

法新社报道，这场持续数小时的暴风雨引发山洪，导致首都罗安达（Luanda）以及南部大西洋沿岸城市本格拉（Benguela）街道被洪水淹没，基础设施受损。

当地消防部门在一份初步报告称，本格拉是受灾最严重地区，共有12人死亡，罗安达则有三人遇难。

罗安达贫困社区的一名居民娜塔莉娅描述，她的家因洪水变成了一个“游泳池”。“我几乎失去了一切，也不知道该去哪里。”

在这个西南非国家，雨季期间强降雨并不罕见，但科学家指出，人为导致的气候变化正在提高此类极端天气事件发生的概率、持续时间和严重程度。

在邻国纳米比亚，赞比西河水位急剧上涨，迫使沿岸数千居民被迫撤离。

王毅：中俄应在大是大非问题上体现公道

2026年4月5日 22:36 / 联合早报

中东战事持续之际，中国外长王毅与俄罗斯外长拉夫罗夫通电话时说，中俄作为联合国安理会常任理事国，应在大是大非问题上体现公道，采取客观平衡做法，并争取国际社会更多理解和支持。

据央视新闻客户端报道，王毅星期天（4月5日）应约同拉夫罗夫通电话，就当前中东形势交换意见。

王毅表示，中俄作为联合国安理会常任理事国，应在大是大非问题上体现公道，采取客观平衡做法，并争取国际社会更多理解和支持。他说，中国始终主张通过对话谈判政治解决国际和地区热点问题。当前，中东局势仍在恶化、战事还在升级。解决霍尔木兹海峡通航问题的根本是尽快停火止战。

王毅也说，中国愿同俄罗斯在联合国安理会继续合作，在重大问题上及时沟通，为局势降温以及维护地区和平稳定和世界共同安全做出努力。

据报道，拉夫罗夫则表示，俄罗斯对中东形势持续升级高度关切。关于当前战事和霍尔木兹海峡问题，俄罗斯主张必须立即停止军事行动，回归政治和外交轨道，解决冲突产生的根源。联合国安理会应为此发挥建设性作用。俄罗斯愿同中国密切沟通协调，继续为推动停火止战发声出力。

美国与以色列于2月28日对伊朗发动袭击，战事至今已持续一个多月。

OPEC+警告：能源设施修复耗时 全球石油供应或受长期影响

2026年4月5日 23:32 / 联合早报

伊朗针对基础设施的袭击以及在霍尔木兹海峡对油轮的威胁，已严重限制波斯湾地区的石油出口。 （路透社）

石油输出国组织及盟友（OPEC+）警告称，近期袭击中受损的能源设施“修复成本高昂且耗时漫长”，这可能会在未来相当长一段时间影响全球石油供应。

法新社报道，OPEC+星期天（4月5日）发布声明强调，保障国际海运航线安全以确保能源供应畅通无阻至关重要。

伊朗针对基础设施的袭击以及在霍尔木兹海峡对油轮的威胁，已严重限制波斯湾地区的石油出口。

对此，OPEC+星期天同意再次提高石油产量配额。OPEC+包括主要产油国沙特阿拉伯和俄罗斯，以及好些正遭受德黑兰袭击重创的波斯湾国家，已“决定实施日增产20万6000桶的产量调整”。

商业区孵化雏隼疑撞上玻璃外墙毙命

2026年4月5日 23:01 / 联合早报

一只雏隼星期六下午被发现卧尸在中央商业区的地面。它是本地一对游隼2月于市中心的华侨银行大厦孵化出四只雏隼的其中一只。 （慈母舰）

两个月前刚在华侨银行大厦孵育出的一只雏隼，怀疑在飞行时撞上一栋建筑的玻璃外墙后丧命，星期六（4月4日）被发现倒卧在中央商业区的地面上。

这只雏隼是本地目前已知在非圈养环境繁殖后代的一对游隼（sǔn），刚在2月于市中心的华侨银行大厦孵化出四只雏隼的其中一只。

游隼，又名花梨鹰（peregrine falcon），是一种主要在白天活动的中型猛禽。

国家公园局野生动物管理研究首席研究员苏自强博士，星期天（5日）回复《联合早报》询问时说，这只雏隼星期六下午被发现卧尸在中央商业区的地面。

当局仍在调查这只雏隼的死因。

至于其他三只雏隼，苏自强说，有两只已开始学飞，还有一只羽翼还未丰满，估计近日也会开始飞行。

一名自称Val的女目击者告诉网络媒体“慈母舰”（Mothership），出事的雏隼星期六事发时曾试着躲避一群乌鸦，后来撞上大华银行大厦一座（UOB Plaza 1）大厅的玻璃外墙。据她提供的视频画面，腹部朝上倒卧在地的雏隼，似乎没有外伤，它的其中一只脚套着一个有 “G02”字样的标签。

有目击者称，雏隼星期六出事前曾试着躲避一群乌鸦，后来撞上大华银行大厦一座（UOB Plaza 1）的大厅玻璃外墙后，横尸地面。（慈母舰）

这名目击者在事发后通报公园局，当局工作人员过后到场把幼鸟尸体移走。

本地首次记录到在非圈养环境繁殖后代的一对游隼，去年4月首次在华侨银行大厦孵化出两只幼鸟。今年2月，它们又在当局于这座大厦34楼设置的人工巢箱内，孵育出四只雏隼。公园局不久前曾装置摄像机，通过社媒平台直播四只幼鸟成长的过程。

苏自强说，目前剩下的三只雏隼，近日在学飞当儿，可能会不小心落到地面上，他吁请公众若发现有雏隼在地面上，可拨打动物应对中心（Animal Response Centre）热线1800-476-1600，向当局提供信息。

在本地，飞鸟撞上建筑物的事件不时发生。《联合早报》2月曾报道，新加坡国立大学李光前自然历史博物馆设立的亡鸟热线，去年收到约650次通报，是2020年通报次数的五倍多；这些鸟的死因八至九成是撞击建筑物。

澳洲女篮三人篮球亚洲杯四连冠 新西兰男篮首称王

2026年4月5日 23:45 / 联合早报

虽然澳大利亚男队没能完成卫冕，但是新西兰男队（白衣）和澳大利亚女队（黄衣）帮助来自大洋洲的两队包揽冠军。 （白艳琳摄）

虽然澳大利亚男队没能完成卫冕，但是新西兰男队（白衣）和澳大利亚女队（黄衣）帮助来自大洋洲的两队包揽冠军。 （白艳琳摄）

虽然男队星期天（4月5日）意外提早出局，但同为卫冕冠军的澳大利亚女队在半决赛经历惊天逆转晋级后，在加冷汇（The Kallang）进行的决赛中轻取首次闯入决赛的菲律宾，豪取三人篮球亚洲杯四连冠。

澳洲女队在闯入半决赛时一度站在淘汰边缘，她们面对头号种子中国时陷入了14比20的落后。但中国始终没能得到锁定胜利的一分，而背水一战的澳洲抓住机会发起反扑。

澳大利亚女队（中）在惊险闯入决赛后，轻松击败菲律宾（蓝衣）实现四连冠。（白艳琳摄）

艾玛·克拉克（Emma Clarke）补上一分，而澳洲的艾米·阿特韦尔（Amy Atwell）连续命中三记远投，帮助澳洲以21比20完成惊天逆转。

相比于半决赛的艰辛，澳洲在决赛中对阵菲律宾时很快以18比9取胜。在半决赛独砍12分的艾米在决赛中也得到八分，她在夺冠后说：“我想三人篮球就是这样，它永远不会在终场哨声响起或一支球队达到21分之前结束。

“我想这正好展示了我们这个团队充满决心。我们从没有一次感到沮丧和绝望。我们只是像一支队伍一样不断战斗。”

一度少打一人 韩国首闯决赛但不敌新西兰

新西兰队在新加坡首次举起亚洲杯的冠军奖杯。 （白艳琳摄）

男子组的较量中，在复赛中以21比16掀翻卫冕冠军澳大利亚男队的新西兰，一路击败日本和韩国，首次在亚洲杯历史上夺冠。

赛事最有价值男球员（MVP）大卫·路易斯（David Lewis）在赛后感叹复赛战胜澳洲的胜利意义重大。他说：“我们已经很久没有击败澳大利亚了，所以那个复赛可能是我们最伟大的一次胜利。”

在今年二月和女友阿罗哈（Aroha）订婚的路易斯也感到非常欣慰，能带着金牌和MVP奖杯回家让他感觉能报答未婚妻为他照顾家事做出的牺牲。

而韩国的晋级之路则曲折很多，他们虽然在复赛中以18比15战胜菲律宾，但李周永在此役下颚遭到肘击，不得不前往医院接受治疗。但缺少一人的韩国越战越勇，半决赛中以21比15力克中国，首次闯入亚洲杯决赛。

虽然李周永在接受简单处理后火速赶回到决赛场上，但以15比21落败，不过他认为能拿到银牌已经出乎意料：“实际上我们从未预料到这次亚洲杯的成绩。感觉就像是天赐的礼物。我们真的很高兴。”

阵容年轻值得肯定 铜牌赛中国双杀日本

中国的刘千豪（左）在铜牌赛中发挥出色，带队击败日本。（白艳琳摄）

无缘金牌战的两支中国队则在铜牌赛中双双击败日本队。中国男队凭借着韩世豪的关键两分绝杀，以22比20逆转战胜日本，收下铜牌。

砍下全场最高10分的刘千豪在回答《联合早报》提问时虽然对没能冲入决赛略感遗憾，但是他认为球队未来可期。

23岁的他说：“这场球确实很困难，开始跟着对手的节奏一直在打，而后面我们挺过来了。”

男子铜牌战对抗激烈，刘千豪一度脸部受伤倒地。（白艳琳摄）

入选本届最佳阵容的刘千豪补充说：“因为这是我们第一次参加亚洲杯，我们之前都是打U23（23岁以下）的比赛，这是第一次参加成年组的比赛。”

而中国女队在砍下全场最高九分的30岁老将张芷婷带领下，以20比15击败日本。中国球手张王来在赛后透露全队磨合时间不足一个月，因此对于铜牌十分满意。

她说：“主要是我们这个队伍3月16号才开始集训，也就半个月，还有新的教练，所以我觉得打成这样已经很满意了。

“虽然半决赛的时候碰到澳大利亚时很有机会，但是我觉得汲取到了经验，下次就知道该怎么打了。”

这是新加坡第五次举办亚洲杯，本次赛事的五天时间内共有8000位观众到场观赛。

伊朗第一副总统：特朗普仍停留在“石器时代”

2026年4月5日 23:50 / 联合早报

伊朗第一副总统阿雷夫说，伊朗选择了不同的道路，即便在压力之下也要推进建设。 （路透社）

伊朗第一副总统阿雷夫说，以牺牲美国人民福祉为代价去威胁他国，美国总统特朗普仍停留在“石器时代”。

新华社引述伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社报道，阿雷夫星期天（4月5日）在社媒上发文说，特朗普以战争为由，称自己无法兼顾到美国民众的“幼儿园和医疗保障”，现在又威胁要摧毁伊朗的发电厂和桥梁。“一个以牺牲本国人民福祉为代价去威胁他国的人，仍停留在‘石器时代’。”

阿雷夫也说，伊朗选择了不同的道路，即便在压力之下也要推进建设。

据报道，特朗普本周曾说，军事是他优先考虑的事项。他星期三（1日）在美国白宫一场内部活动中称，美国联邦政府不可能同时兼顾到日托、医疗补助等这些“琐碎事务”。“我们正在打仗，没法照顾日托。”

特朗普星期天在社交媒体上发文，再次要求伊朗重开霍尔木兹海峡并威胁称，如果不这样做的话，伊朗将“陷入地狱”。他说，“伊朗星期二（7日）将同时迎来发电厂日和桥梁日”，暗示要猛烈轰炸伊朗的发电厂和大桥。

特朗普稍后接受福克斯新闻访问时称，伊朗正和美国谈判，双方很有可能在星期一（6日）达成协议。他警告：“如果他们不迅速达成协议，我会考虑炸毁一切，接管他们的石油。”

The sublime perfection of Raphael

April 5, 2026 / 10:23 AM EDT / CBS News

Raphael was believed to be 17 when he did this chalk sketch, likely a self-portrait. “What is really extraordinary is the perfection of his technique in drawing,” said curator Carmen Bambach.

Raphael’s drawing of a young man, believed to be a self-portrait when the artist was just 17 years old. CBS News

You can see in this chalk sketch, by a kid, what was coming … how, in an incredibly short time, Raphael would be regarded as one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance, right up there with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. “I think posterity sometimes sees him in third place,” said Bambach. “I believe he is in equal place.”

Bambach spent eight years putting together the first comprehensive exhibition of Raphael’s work ever in the United States – 237 works in total. It has just opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Born in Urbino in 1483, Raphael’s precociousness exploded into brilliance when he moved to Florence at the age of 21. “He encounters Leonardo, who is very interested in, sort of, the way that an artist can let the creative juices flow on the paper,” said Bambach. “Raphael absorbs this, and all of a sudden, we see this tremendous sense of movement, of drama, storytelling. He’s able to pick the climactic point of any story. He’s got to be one of the most amazing storytellers that way.”

The humanity, the tenderness of a mother with her baby … his drawings and paintings of the Madonna and Child are beautiful exercises in wishful thinking.

Raphael (Raffaello di Giovanni Santi), “The Virgin and Child with Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Alba Madonna),” ca. 1509-11. Oil on canvas (transferred from wood). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Andrew W. Mellon Collection

“Mortality of women of child-bearing age was stratospheric, and the same thing for children,” Bambach said. “When one has Madonnas that look like they’re a beautiful picture of health, these bambini that are plump and delightful – you want to pinch them! – it’s like producing a kind of idealized universe that was entirely aspirational.”

As opposed to his portraits, which look like the real people he painted.

Raphael’s portrait of Bindo Altoviti. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Bindo Altoviti was one of the pope’s bankers, and a friend of Raphael’s, who captured his gaze, the tendrils of hair down his back, the personification of sensuality. “Bindo Altoviti is kind of my favorite portrait in that I have always had a crush on that guy,” said Bambach.

Raphael’s friendships with well-connected patrons led to bigger and bigger commissions, and ultimately to Rome and the Vatican, at the age of 25, to produce frescoes for the pope’s private offices and library. (They are reproduced in the Met show at ¾ size.)

He slipped a likeness of himself into the most famous, “The School of Athens,” and of Leonardo. Some scholars say one brooding figure is Michelangelo.

“The School of Athens,” a fresco by the painter Raphael made for Pope Julius II between 1510 and 1511. The artist painted his own likeness into a figure on the right. Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Bambach said, “Michelangelo was intensely envious of Raphael. Raphael was the tragedy that happened to Michelangelo in many ways, because it came so easily to him.”

Raphael was commissioned to create the designs for enormous tapestries meant to hang directly below Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Of the artist’s drawing of an old and young man, Bambach noted, “This is the most beautiful drawing that Raphael ever produced. For somebody to get that foreshortening of the fingers, and the different planes of the hands in a credible way, this is how you tell the greatest artists from somebody who is just good.”

Curator Carmen Bambach and correspondent Martha Teichner with Raphael’s “Studies of Two Apostles for the Transfiguration,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. CBS News

The drawing was for “The Transfiguration,” what would turn out to be his last painting.

On April 6, 1520, his 37th birthday, Raphael died of a fever in Rome. The inscription on his tomb in the Pantheon reads, “While he was alive, Nature feared she would be surpassed by him. When he died, she feared that she would die, too.”

For more info:

• Raphael: Sublime Poetry, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (through June 28)
• Exhibition Catalogue: Raphael: Sublime Poetry by Carmen C. Bambach (Metropolitan Museum of Art), in Hardcover, available April 14 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org

Story produced by Robert Marston. Editor: Remington Korper.