Gretchen Dow Simpson, the distinguished Rhode Island artist known for her evocative, geometrically precise depictions of New England’s seaside cottages and rural farms, passed away on April 11 at her home in Providence, Rhode Island. She was 85 years old.
Her daughter Megan Wolff confirmed that complications from Lewy body dementia were the cause of her passing.
Simpson gained acclaim for her reflective portrayals of Northeastern coastal and country architecture, capturing the austere and Protestant aesthetics reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s favored subjects, as noted in a 1997 Art in America review.
Though her focus was often on simple, solitary structures, her work transcended straightforward representation. Drawing on her background as a commercial photographer, she adopted a telephoto lens perspective in many paintings, isolating windows, doors, or rooftops to highlight intersecting lines and contrasting angles. This approach infused her compositions with an abstract sensibility.
A 1995 ARTnews critique emphasized how Simpson’s art thrives on the solid geometry of buildings combined with planar surface details, brought to life by stark contrasts between light and shadow.
Her distinctive style earned widespread recognition, leading to her inclusion in Absolut Vodka’s 1993 iconic print campaign. The 'Absolut Dow Simpson' advertisement, which appeared on a magazine’s back cover, featured the iconic vodka bottle’s shadow cast hauntingly on a white clapboard wall, blending her architectural motifs with brand imagery.
