Tan Keng Cheow 陈景昭

Tan Keng Cheow (Chen Jingchao, 1907 – 1972) was born in Anbu，Chaoan county of Guangdong province. He was sent to study in Shanghai at young age and graduated from Jinan University with a degree in Economics. Due to his family background, he developed a deep interest in Chinese painting and calligraphy since young.
In Shanghai, he was under the guidance of a number of pre-eminent artists, including Huang Binhong and Ye Gongchuo. His calligraphy was very much influenced by Ye, so much that that many of his own students also learned Ye’s calligraphy. Tan started with learning the calligraphy of Yan Zhenqing and Zhao Mengfu, and followed by practising extensively the Wei stone inscriptions.
Tan came to Singapore in 1949. He was a Principal of Tuan Mong High School. He also taught in Chung Cheng High School (Main). 1964. He retired in 1968 and died in 1972.
We can say that Tan is the person who had laid the foundation for the development of calligraphy in Singapore. His contributions to the field of calligraphy in Singapore were many-fold.
When he was the Principal of Tuan Mong High School, he created a very conducive environment for calligraphy learning. As a result, the school had produced many students who are good in calligraphy. As such, Tuan Mong was well known for calligraphy in Singapore.
In 1964, Tan was transferred from Tuan Mong to Chung Cheng High School (Main) as a teacher. Since then, he started teaching Chinese calligraphy, and did not stop teaching it till his death in 1972. During this period, he had trained many students such as Tan Siah Kwee, Khoo Seng Kong, Choo Pee Moy, Yeo Eng Choon and Yeo Eng Jiang. Many of his students have developed a lifelong love in Chinese calligraphy. Even after his retirement, he continued to invite these students to learn and practice the art in his home. Among them, Tan Siah Kwee is the founding member of and currently is still the President of the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore (CCSS), which was officially founded in December 1968. Khoo Seng Kong is the founding member of the Shicheng Calligraphy & Seal-carving Society and currently its Adviser. Both men have played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of Chinese calligraphy in Singapore.
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陈景昭（1907～1972年），潮安县庵埠人。早年负笈上海，毕业于暨南大学法学院经济系。由于家学渊源，自幼对中国书画产生浓厚之兴趣。
在上海求学时，深得黄宾虹、叶恭绰等名师指授。其书法受叶恭绰的影响较大，以至后来他的很多学生也学习叶恭绰的字。陈景昭的书法由颜真卿、赵孟頫入手，于魏碑用力至深。
1949年到新加坡，历任端蒙中学校长及中正中学总校教师。他于1968年退休，1972年去世。
陈景昭可以说是新加坡书法发展的奠基人物，对新加坡书法界的贡献可以说是多方面的。
在他当端蒙中学时，为学校制造了一个很好的学习书法的环境，以至该校的书法人才辈出，端蒙也因书法而闻名全新加坡。
1964年陈景昭从端蒙转到中正中学总校教书，这是他亲自教导书法的开始，一直到1972年去世为止，他就从来没有停止过书法教学的工作。在中正期间，他培养了一批对书法终身热爱的学生，在退休后还继续请这些书法爱好者到他的府上学画学字。陈景昭所培养的学生中，就包括了陈声桂，邱程光，朱碧妹，杨应然，杨应春等人。其中陈声桂先生是1968年12月创立的新加坡书法家协会的创办人之一与该会的历任会长；而邱程光则是1994年创立的狮城书法篆刻会的创办人之一，目前是该会的顾问。他们在新加坡当代书坛扮演了举足轻重的角色。