‘Chiaroscuro’: Shakira’s New Instagram Post Is Turning Heads For Its Hidden Meaning

At this point, most of us can comfortably recite Shakira‘s iconic Bizarrap session by heart, singing along like the lobas we are to: “Pa’ tipos como tú,” “Yo solo hago música, perdón que te salpique” (uf), and that “Clara…mente” line. Of course, all that “Claramente” business is a clear shot at Piqué‘s new 23-year-old girlfriend Clara Chía, who he reportedly cheated on Shakira with.

While that whole situation made us realize no one is safe (it’s Shakira!), and that we should always check our strawberry jam jars moving forward, at least Shakira has come out on top after the breakup — and she’s just getting started.

With talks of a new album in the works, and a possible upcoming song titled “Copa Vacía” alongside Manuel Turizo, Shakira is no doubt using her heartbreak to facturar — and we love to see it. That being said, no one knows the intricacies of her separation from her children’s father. She did set up a witch on her balcony pointing at her ex-suegra, so we can imagine there’s still some drama behind the scenes. Now, the star added fuel to the fire with an Instagram caption that has fans asking whether it’s an indirecta.

Everything to know about Shakira’s interesting Instagram caption

Shakira took to Instagram yesterday to share a cute selfie with a black, furry bucket hat, a brown sweater, and a cat-eye makeup look. As any of our selfies (you know, the mere mortals club), the singer’s photo seemed business as usual. Still, her caption immediately turned heads, and made fans question whether she just sent a hidden message to Clara Chía.

The “Loba” star captioned her selfie with, “Chiaroscuro,” so you can see why her followers think it’s a dig at Chía. However, the word has even more unexpected symbols within it — some of which may point to Piqué’s new relationship.

So what does it all mean? Well for one, Shakira is kind of a well-known intellectual: her 1995 song “Vuelve” talks about the Sphinx, Tiberius, and Alexander the Great, while her 1998 song “No Creo” brings in philosophers like Karl Marx and Jean-Paul Sartre. Plus, she even went back to university to study history at UCLA in 2007, telling The Guardian that she disguised herself as a boy in order to keep studying unnoticed. So, her “chiaroscuro” caption follows her love of intellectual pursuits— and actually takes a look back at history.

The meaning of “chiaroscuro”

Chiaroscuro is actually an art technique, describing the contrasts between light and dark in a painting. While originating in Renaissance art, you can also see it in many Baroque paintings. For example, artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio used it in their pieces. Plus, the word “chiaroscuro” is actually Italian for “light-dark,” which points to the contrast of shadows we see in paintings — but may also symbolically point to the mix of light and darkness in life.

So why would Shakira caption her seemingly-innocent selfie with “chiaroscuro?” Well, in Spanish, it would mean “Claro-oscuro,” which makes it a double entendre or symbol at Clara Chía’s name. In fact, while “Clara” means “light” or “clear” in Spanish, her middle name “Chía” is the start of “chiaro, the Italian word for “light” as well. So “chiaraoscuro” is a very interesting way for Shakira to caption her photo.

Even more, Shakira’s caption may point to how Clara Chía — someone Piqué allegedly had an affair with — has a name that means “light” and positivity, but her intentions might have been dark. In short, the star seems to be contrasting the irony of Chía’s name with what happened in her family.

Moreover, this analysis also makes sense with a very important lyric in Shakira’s Bizarrap session. In the track, she sings, “She has the name of a good person, clara-mente she’s not how she sounds.” Hm. “Chiaraoscuro” might be a shorter way to say the same thing.

Another possibility? Maybe the caption has nothing to do with Clara Chía at all. “Chiaroscuro” might just be a way for Shakira to make sense of life’s mix of light and dark, happiness and loss. Yet another idea? Maybe it’s her new album title.

Shakira, a genius as always.