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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;krispy, post: 1147107, member: 19065&quot;]<b>Is?</b> Si, for some it seems it is an ugly note, but that&#039;s just subjective personal preference and only one aspect of any given thing. Most happen to be in concert here in this thread so far, and while there&#039;s nothing wrong with that, its clear this isn&#039;t necessarily the most diverse community. We all narrowly define our collecting interests. There are only a few collectors of African notes that I see sharing their interests in these forums, and not all of them are into modern notes, so the balance is a little skewed towards a consensus agreeing that it&#039;s ugly.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m sure there are collectors who admire the abstract beauty of African art and can see in that portrait and the smaller vignette of traditional African imagery next to it, a lineage of style that transcends their culture and sets itself apart from Western aesthetic ideals. Not all engravers manage to interpret an artists vision perfectly either so the quality of imagery may be clunky, but then again, it may be accurate too. </p><p><br /></p><p>When is the last time you saw a Serial Number with ascending font sizes? Wouldn&#039;t it be cool to get a fancy SN that also <i>numerically</i> ascended, i.e. AB123456, or numerically in reverse but with increasing font size? When is the last time you saw a note with a *satellite dish* in the design? I think it&#039;s interesting to consider how the security pattern on the left side looks like the unseen transmission waves emanating from the satellite dish. </p><p><br /></p><p>Where some do not see beauty others simply define it differently. For some, the complex (vs. busy) graphical design and patterning may particularly appeal to them. Perhaps there are collectors with a penchant for technological (the satellite dish) or traditional art themes who would seek such a note to complete their collection. There&#039;s something out there for everyone... </p><p><br /></p><p>Many people reject contemporary art for it&#039;s garishness and lack of aesthetic appeal. When Picasso shifted from a rigid western style of trained art and offered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Demoiselles_d%27Avignon" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Demoiselles_d%27Avignon" rel="nofollow">Les Demoiselles d&#039;Avignon</a>, he shocked and offended many sensibilities. This painting has become one of the icons of modern art, the <i>avante garde</i> changed and redefined centuries of influence in Western art by bringing in other cultural references. The painting&#039;s themes are complex but the distortion was a direct influence of African (and other cultures&#039;) art being rendered by a new idea breaking through in western established art and culture. Much of what was considered primitive from indigenous culture was no less beautiful, but coupled with the media and coarse intimate subject matter, the effect was explosive. Much of modern art thrives on that reaction from its viewers and where it takes us next with art and visual culture. It&#039;s healthy to have a reaction to something that shakes up engrained ideas about subjective things so we can see beyond our selves and see our limits, identify out preferences and how we perceive ourselves. Nothing wrong with having them, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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