BIOGRAPHY.

Mari Hori (1933-2021) was born in Japan during an era that pushed towards militarism, and until the age of 12, she survived in a state and war that suppressed individual dignity. The joy and sense of liberation when Japan ended World War II in 1945, along with a strong rebellious spirit not to have her mental freedom suppressed no matter what, became a significant foundation for her lifelong pursuit of painting expression. She was one of the pioneers who was admitted as a woman to the oil painting department of Tokyo University of the Arts, the pinnacle of art universities in Japan. Her exceptional drawing skills were highly regarded from an early age. Among the few female students, she served as an assistant to two prominent painters of the Showa era, Takeshi Hayashi and Noriyuki Ushijima, who were also her instructors, which is considered quite rare in the long history of Tokyo University of the Arts.

Her naturally competitive and strong-willed personality, along with a firm belief that she would not let her life be dominated by a state that thoroughly oppressed individuals and by war, led her to resolve that no one would interfere with her way of life; she would live and die alone. This strong conviction persisted throughout her life.

The intensity of Mari's character and beliefs is well reflected in her works. The bold black outlines drawn with strong, straight lines, and the vivid colors applied flatly, close to primary colors, are characteristic of a Japanese painting style that emphasizes flatness and bold simplification rather than the three-dimensional expression typical of Western oil painting. Because she possessed absolute confidence in her drawing skills, she would observe her subjects mercilessly, capturing the essential beauty of the people and things worthy of admiration, and aimed to depict them “ Straight to the point” and “straightforwardly.” This intensity was likely deeply influenced by the life and works of Takeshi Hayashi, who became her instructor at the art university.
However, intensity alone cannot capture the essence of Mari's art. Her works emerge from an overflowing “love”—the love of a woman for a man, the love of a mother for her family, and the strong desire to seek and act for the ideal society as a citizen. Rather than depicting reality as it is, she sublimates that life into an ideal beauty. She captures and celebrates the moment when life sparkles and shines. The attitude of “depicting the world as one wishes” and the “sense of happiness” of Noriyuki Ushijima, whom she admired for a long time during the latter half of her university days, became the foundation of her artistic inspiration.
Human beings are deeply shaped by the land and era in which they live. For Mari Hori, living in the San Tama area from her early thirties until her passing at 88 years old shaped both her and her paintings.
In the 1970s, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to a citizens' movement wishing for the peaceful use of the base in Tachikawa, only to experience setbacks and wounds. The healing of those wounds came from the beautiful mountains and rivers of Okutama and the cherry blossom forests of the National Takao, which she visited repeatedly in the 1980s and 1990s. This led to the series of cherry blossoms.

1933 Born in Tokyo
1953 Entered Tokyo University of the Arts
　　　　Studied under Takeshi Hayashi
1958 Graduated from the university
　　Became an assistant to Noriyuki Ushijima
1982 Ginza Saegusa Gallery Solo Exhibition
After that, many solo exhibitions in Ginza and Tachikawa
2009 Noriyuki Ushijima Memorial at Fuchu Art Museum　　　　　
　　　　On the occasion of the opening of the building,
　　　　Ushijima joined the “Ushi no Kai”　
2009 The 1st Cow Society Exhibition
　　　　In parallel with painting instruction, together with citizens
　　　　Continue to create and present your work　　　　　　
Died in November 2021, aged 88
2023 Publication of “Hori Mari Works”
　　　Ginza Ushio Gallery, Form Gallery
　　　Exhibition to commemorate the publication of the book　　
2024 Fuchu Art Museum Citizen’s Gallery　Large-scale retrospective, resonating



ABOUT THE ARTWORKS.

The series of cherry blossoms began in 1995. It was around the time when her marriage to her husband, a designer and painter from the same Tokyo University of the Arts, fell apart, and she resolved to pour all her life force into her paintings. Life became difficult, but her passion for expression and curiosity were sharpened, and in 2004, at the age of 71, an astonishing explosion of expression occurred, leading to the innovation of over 100 oil paintings in just three years, culminating in a successful exhibition at a large venue in Tachikawa, the largest city in West Tokyo. These are the works from that time's cherry blossom series.

Cherry blossoms are special to the Japanese. The splendor of the cherry blossoms, their enchanting sway in the wind that colors the air, their symbolism as an explosion of spring life, and their fleeting beauty and purity as they fall within ten days. People associate their lives with the way of life of the cherry blossoms. Additionally, in Japanese society, the cherry blossom season coincides with school graduations and admissions, as well as company retirements and transfers. The cherry blossom symbolizes the season of farewells and reunions, and people strongly connect their memories of life with cherry blossoms. This is no exception for Mari Hori. In her case, especially, after losing her partner and refocusing her goals solely on her art, she must have rediscovered the beautiful cherry blossoms in western Tokyo. Perhaps she holds a deep reverence, longing, intense empathy, and admiration for the cherry blossoms that endure the harsh winds and snow, blooming magnificently every year, simply continuing to exist. For Mari, the cherry blossom is a friend, a mentor, and a god. “Snow Cherry Blossoms” is an important work. As the splendid cherry blossoms celebrate spring, snow falls, and the wind violently scatters the petals. The cherry blossom endures this alone, simply continuing to exist. That image of the cherry blossom is none other than the artist herself, a declaration by Mari to continue painting until her last breath.