An idyllic scene on Lake Constance along Seestraße in Konstanz

by Frank Schmidt

A view from the water of one of Lake Constance’s most magnificent lakeside promenades: stretching along the deep-blue water is the historic silhouette of Konstanz’s Seestraße, with its stately Wilhelminian-style villas and shady plane trees. The architectural ensemble captivates with its distinctive geometry: A striking main building forms the centre, flanked on the left and right by façades arranged in an almost mirror-image fashion. Among other things, this scene served as an impressive backdrop in the film * "Eine dunkle Begierde" * (*A Dangerous Method*) about Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung. On the lake, a charming, historic excursion boat flying the Baden flag and trailing a delicate plume of steam leisurely makes its way. The illustration is rendered in a modern vintage flat-colour style – inspired by French retro poster art and modern vector aesthetics. The design completely dispenses with black contour lines (Ligne Claire) and instead draws its vitality from purist colour blocks, geometric edges and finely graded areas of light and shadow.

The calm turquoise and blue tones of the water form an elegant contrast to the warm ochre, sand and terracotta hues of the façades. When displayed in a room, the artwork exudes a serene, maritime sense of spaciousness and brings the timeless elegance of Lake Constance into both modern and classic interior designs.