Most of Chiaro's work is preserved in the
chansonnier Vaticano latino 3793. Topically his poetry is in the Sicilian and
Occitan traditions. The chief poets whose influence can be detected are the
troubadour Rigaut de Berbezilh and of the Sicilians
Giacomo da Lentini,
Guido delle Colonne, and
Stefano Protonotaro. has been criticised as dry, unpoetic, and overused. In the fourteenth century his reputation declined considerably, as his method of elaborating old lyrics fell out of favour. One of his images, however, that of a child at a mirror (''come 'l fantin ca ne lo speglio smira''), was used even in the
Renaissance. Kenneth McKenzie describes Chiaro's "style" as developing over time and containing widely divergent elements under opposing influences: . . . at one period of his activity Chiaro decked his verse in plumes borrowed from the Provençal and Sicilian poets and from Guittone d'Arezzo; but there is great variety in his work; we find political poems, realistic poems in popular style, attempts at philosophy, and finally indications of the influence of
Guinizelli and the
dolce stil novo. Though Chiaro has been placed with the
guittoniani, followers of Guittone d'Arezzo, before, only in the
canzone does Chiaro address Guittone directly. When deviating from the
trobar leu into more difficult and complex construction he is usually conversing with
guittoniani, such as
Pallamidesse Bellindoti or
Rinuccino, with
Monte Andrea, his most common correspondent, or with
Finfo del Buono. Chiaro had a correspondence with "Dante" according to the manuscripts, but this is regarded now as probably
Dante da Maiano, in 1283. In
Di penne di paone ("Of the peacock's feathers") Chiaro accused
Bonagiunta Orbicciani of plagiarising Giacomo da Lentini. In 1267 Chario composed
Ahi dolze e gaia terra fiorentina to reprimand his fellow Florentines on the occasion of their surrendering of power to
Charles I of Sicily, whom they made
podestà while the
Ghibellines were sent into exile. ==External links==