Portrait of Mr. Tsuruzo Ishii (Test Print)

"Portrait of Mr. Tsuruzo Ishii (Test Print)" of 1948 is a proof impression — a test print made in the process of developing the final composition — that reveals the working method behind Onchi's finished portraits. Test prints were functional objects whose purpose was technical: checking the registration of colors, the quality of block carving, the relationship between compositional elements. But in Onchi's hands, even a test print carries the mark of his visual intelligence, making it a legitimate artwork in its own right as well as a document of artistic process.