The painting Love or Duty by Gabriele Castagnola is a nineteenth century painting depicting an artist and a nun (Castagnola). The qualities of the painting that are most striking include its impeccable attention to detail and the tale that the painting tells. The emotional appeal of the image is a clear representation of the conflict between the nun's responsibility and the painter's adoration for her. 

 Gabriele Castagnola's work illustrates a lowly nun, blushing, as a painter takes her hand and gives her a passionate look, almost standing up out of his seat. Each character's wardrobe resembles typical Renaissance-era garb. The nun's facial expression is rather stoic, but her stoicism does not render her blush imaginary. Her outfit is very nunly, of course, because her occupation is to devote her entire life to the lord. She also wields a pendant on her waist with a skull charm. Her position relative to the painter is forward from a stool and directly between the painter and his easel. The painter is dressed in shades of red and decorated with ornamental arm and wrist bracers. The painter's hood is over his head covering his elegant mane. His cape reveals a coin purse and knife at his side. He must have been in the middle of working on his painting when he was approached by the nun, hence the brushes and color pallet in his left hand. A brush lays singularly on the ground at his feet, indicating he dropped it in order to hold the nun's hand in a somewhat urgent fashion. To further that hypothesis, the painter is half way up and out of his chair with a concerned facial expression as he points his face towards the nun's. The care put into the attitude of both characters significantly expresses the hardship between them, whether they can continue to see each other or forever stay dissatisfied. 

Both character's emotions are that of passion and romantic distress. Both the painter and nun have important roles to maintain within the Catholic Church, but it is evident that they cannot maintain themselves. 

 The detail put into put into what is around the painter and the nun is just as significant to the story as the characters are. This busyness seen in the painting cannot be briefly explained. For example, the works of art on the wall in the background and on the painter's easel are telling stories all on their own, further enhancing the scene. 

The paintings in the background of holy figures (with their halos) approaching a standing woman that is holding her head with one of her hands can represent a similar situation in which a nun tries to keep her faith, though curiosity is her endeavor. The "Three Wise Men" sending an angel to the curious woman could be interpreted as the argument against the painter and nun's love; the angel playing the part of being the sanctity of the church trying to persuade the nun to continue her commitment towards the lord.

In contrast, the painting being worked on leaning against the easel is an obvious metaphor for what nuns lose the opportunity of having whilst forever committed to Jesus Christ. The holy woman is being blessed by two angels with the gift of a child. Perhaps the painting that the Red Robin Hood is working on is a message to his beloved nun, a message that with her work brings the realization that she cannot harbor children. 

The painting or sculpture of Jesus Christ's legs as he is undeniably being hung from the golden cross behind him represents further hardship and pain endured by Christ. In the Christian bible, the lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of all peoples. In context to the scene between the painter and the nun, it can be told that Jesus has sacrificed himself for the very mistake (in relation to her occupation) that the nun is making. It is as if the artist Castagnola is personally accepting of the love between the two by adding the crucifixion in the work. 
The artwork functions well as a painting because it thoroughly captures the Renaissance-style of Humanism that the author is trying to recreate. Renaissance-era artwork focuses on realistic qualities, fully capturing the human form in all of its glory. The emphasis of Renaissance-era artwork is put on the human beings and the human experience rather than pre-Renaissance-era work that was not very detailed in the portrayal of the human experience. The artwork was far simpler, generally, before the Renaissance. The prime importance of Castagnola's work is of the characters, not of the religious subject matter. The religious scene merely adds backdrop to carry his story. Just because there are evident religious details within the art, does not necessarily qualify that the work is a religious one. A prime example would be the subtlety of the nun's charm pendant  --  a skull. Now for why a nun would hoist a skull on her garb is beyond me, but the skull pendant should be looked at as a symbol of rebellion. In Western civilization, skulls are seen as a sort of antithetical piece, a biblical opponent. For death and dying is a commonality in the works of Christianity, Renaissance-era artwork embraced the immaculate human form; thus it would be fair to say that nun's skull represents a choice beyond that of what is desirable of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Basic background knowledge on the workings of Catholicism and the power of Christianity throughout Europe for over two thousand years is needed to fully appreciate the symbols and effort put into this artwork. Castagnola's piece is an effective one because of his use of intense detailed homage towards Renaissance-era style of artwork as well as the subtle symbols used to drive his story.
