Grotesque (French grotesque, literally - "bizarre", "comic"; Italian grottesco - "bizarre", Italian grotta - "grotto", "cave") is a kind of artistic image, comically or tragicomically generalizing and sharpening life relationships through a bizarre and contrasting combination of the real and the fantastic, believability and caricature, hyperbole and alogism. May also be inherent in artistic thinking In conversation, the word grotesque usually means “strange,” “fantastic,” “eccentric,” or “ugly,” and thus is often used to describe strange or distorted forms, such as masks at a carnival or gargoyles at cathedrals. The concept of grotesque can refer to a specific type of ornament, which combines graphic and decorative motives. Such combinations, as a rule, have a whimsical or fantastic character. The German Iron Cross is an ancient military award established in 1813 by King Frederick William III of Prussia as a symbol of bravery and dignity. There is nothing political or negative about this symbol — it is not associated with any ideologies and carries exclusively historical and cult significance. Bikers started using the Iron Cross after World War II. Many American veterans who returned home sought freedom and unity on the open spaces of the roads, forming the first motorcycle clubs. The Iron Cross was chosen by them as a sign of protest against the conventions of society and as a symbol of independence. The use of this symbol has become a kind of reference to the military past and an expression of the rebellious spirit that unites the brotherhood of bikers. Today, this symbol for bikers means courage, brutality, loyalty to the road — and does not carry anything political or negative.