When looking at any image, someone is able to take away his or her own understanding of the artist's portrayed story. Gabriele Castagnola was an Italian artist who was an active oil painter of the 19th century in Florence. The painting created in 1873 by Gabriele Castagnola titled Love or Duty depicts a woman dressed as a nun and a royally dressed man who appears to be painting a portrait. Through close reading of this image I have created my own interpretation of Love or Duty; the nun and the painter have fallen in love, but the nun is torn between her heart and her duty to God so she is turning to God for the right answer. I came to this interpretation from my first reaction to this painting, the multiple design elements that were put together to create this one image and the purpose the artist wanted to convey. 

The first time one looks at this image is the most important. Where their eyes go the first time they look at this image is the very first interpretation their mind creates. When applying this to Love or Duty one's eyes go right to the nun in the center of the page. I first noticed her gaze: it is not looking at the man looking up to her or straight out to the viewer but she is looking slightly down at something bigger in the distance. A big reason the eyes go right to the nun's gaze is because in this dark and dreary picture the nun is dressed in an innocent, white head piece and cloak making her figure stand out the most. In forming an interpretation, the first time viewing this painting I noticed the big canvas being painted by the man. Without seeing if there are people he is painting on the other side of the canvas or just freely painting people, the viewer wonders if it is important at all. I chose to dismiss the canvas as I thought it was not important in my interpretation. My overall first impression left me feeling very solemn for there was not much emotion in any of the faces, no movement and no brightness in color.

Once one gets past the first impression they then notice the design elements that appear in this one image. This piece of artwork felt very realistic to me. Even though I was not alive in the late 1800's, I felt like this painting created a clear mental picture of what life looked like due to the colors and dress of the characters painted. There are no abstract lines or abstract objects that stand out adding to the solemn mood, all patterns that are in this image blend right into the background. Through design elements I was able to interpret that the woman in this was a nun due to her dress and the colors of her dress. With the color and shadowing in this image being dark, even the lady's green dress on the canvas being painted stands out. It is hard to depict the painter's face in the image but if you look closely you are able to see him looking up at the nun with a look of hopefulness. Lastly, Castagnola's choice on the space and proximity in this painting play an important role in interpretation. This is important because not only does the viewer get to see the full length bodies of the characters in this painting but he or she also gets a lot of the room the characters are in. Without being able to see the full dress and full room one's interpretation could be very different. 

One might wonder, what is the purpose of this painting? Not only does this painting portray life in the 19th century but it also provides a clue as to what a job of a painter for a royal family is like: sitting in a dim room painting canvas after canvas of the same family. Throughout this painting the theme of royalty is very prominent whether this nun is a form of royalty or this painter but in my interpretation neither are royal, they both work for a royal family. Starting as simple as the walls, when I picture a royal home I picture these walls; with the designs that are on them and the colors. Next there is the clothing of the painter, his red, velvet cape and gold cap sleeves represent a royal subject. In my interpretation of the nun wanting to love this painter the theme of wanting something you can't have is present. You can tell in the painter's eyes that he is holding her hand and looking up to her with angst, awaiting the answer. In the nun's eyes you can see a bit of helplessness, she wants to keep ahold of the painter's hand yet she knows its her duty to love God and only God. I interpret that there is a happy ending to this painting, she turns back to the painter and confesses her love to him. They don't know what their future holds but they will now take on the future together.

Through close reading a visual text one has the ability to interpret, discuss and make meaning all from information presented in the form of an image. Gabriele Castagnola's painting titled Love or Duty could have many different interpretations, but after close reading this myself I came up with the interpretation that the nun and painter have fallen in love through their royal jobs.  However, since the nun has made a commitment to God she is torn between what she is feeling and her obligation to her faith.  The painter, who is in love with the nun, is torn between his love for her and his sense of doing what is right, letting her go to keep her commitment to God.  As stated above, I came to this interpretation through my first reaction to the painting, design elements that were put together for this one image and the themes displayed. 

