Previously, more than 30 of his calligraphy works won prizes in domestic and international competitions, and thousands of works were collected by all walks of life. His introduction and works have been included in more than 50 masterpieces of calligraphy and painting. The Literary Talent Center of the Ministry of Culture awarded him the title of "Outstanding Contemporary Artistic Talent in China".
Ma Zhao's popularity in Xinjiang is far less than that of mainland calligraphy, because Ma Zhao is a calligrapher who is more famous than others, and he is interpreting himself with his works.
Ma Zhao is good at official script. His brushwork is resolute, extensive, angular and neat. This "pure" and "rigid" style is the characteristic of his skillful calligraphy art, which expresses Ma Zhao's inner scenery. From his official script works, we can see his unpretentious personality and his inheritance from famous monuments such as Ode to Shimen and Huashan Monument, and modern calligrapher Liu Bingsen.
Between publicity and restraint, Ma Zhao's official script grasped a kind of "degree". Between arrogance and humility, we also grasp a kind of "degree". Maintain pride, get rid of pride, be neither supercilious nor supercilious, and have an upright and square character.
Ma Zhao's running script is more popular. His large-character running script has a bold spirit at first glance, which is a combination of passion and momentum. His running script is obviously influenced by the famous contemporary painter Fan Ceng, and some strokes are very similar. His broad style, Song Huizong's incisiveness, the combination of thick and thin strokes, and the use of center and winger have both the essence of famous artists and his personal innovations and changes.
Of course, Ma Zhao's running script is more influenced by Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting and Yan Zhenqing's Manuscript for Sacrificing a Nephew, as well as the stable structure and traditional brushwork characteristics of Chinese characters in famous posts such as Mi Fei and Tang Yin. That magnificence, that richness, that intensity, that softness and that variety are all manifestations of his artistic inspiration.
Books are like people. Ma Zhao's calligraphy shows his principles of being a man: first, sincere feelings; second, strong character.
Calligraphy art is different from other arts. It is an art sublimated from writing tools, with inheritance and practicality. Therefore, Ma Zhao believes that the art of calligraphy must be innovated on the basis of inheriting the tradition, and it must not be changed without the writing rules of Chinese characters.
Over the years, Ma Zhao not only studied posts endlessly, but also loved history, philosophy and poetry to learn about this book and life. Hegel's concept theory, Zhuangzi's natural view of the unity of man and nature, and his understanding of Tang and Song poetry all injected spiritual connotation and internal vitality into his works.
Last August, Ma Zhao was invited to hold a personal calligraphy exhibition in his hometown of Tianshui, Gansu Province. I didn't expect that half of the works were ordered for collection on the first day of the exhibition, and all the proceeds were donated to ethnic and cultural undertakings in my hometown. This pair of congratulatory couplets, "I traveled 3,000 miles in my hometown to show my calligraphy talent, and I worked silently for 40 years to show my national spirit", expressed the voices of thousands of visitors in Qian Qian.
Ma Zhao, who has just turned 60, is still quietly working hard.