Orbital

Las Meninas symbolizes shifting perspectives and the distance between observer and subject. Anton keeps a postcard of the painting in his quarters, a gift from his wife during his training. The artwork is known for its layered composition, where the painter, subjects, and audience all exist in a complex interplay of viewpoints. Throughout the novel, the astronauts discuss its meaning, initially focusing on the figures in the painting. Shaun later realizes that the true subject might be the dog in the foreground—the only figure unaware of the scene around it, free from the gaze of others. This reinterpretation parallels the astronauts’ experience in space. On Earth, they were at the center of their own lives, but in orbit, they become distant observers, watching without participating. Anton’s attachment to the postcard demonstrates his nostalgia and growing awareness of how his perspective has changed. Just as Las Meninas plays with the idea of visibility and perception, the novel emphasizes how space alters the way the astronauts see Earth. By the end, as they continue their endless orbit, they, like the figures in the painting, remain caught between presence and absence, part of something yet separate from it.