ソウル生まれで世界を舞台に活躍した舞踏家・崔承喜の人気は、日本国内でも高く、劇場での公演のほか、川端康成をはじめとした文化人らが会員制で崔承喜舞踏鑑賞会を開催するほどでした。
清方は、崔承喜から舞姿を描いてほしいとの依頼を受け、スケッチを重ねて制作に取りかかり、大下図まで出来ましたが未完となりました。

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Choi Seung-hee 2 (1943)
pale color on paper; framed
35.3 x 53.8 cm

Born in Seoul, the Korean dancer Choi Seung-hee was a world-renowned performer. She was so popular in Japan that Kawabata Yasunari and other cultured figures even organized membership-based clubs for appreciating Choi Seung-hee’s dancing in addition to her stage performances.
Choi Seung-hee asked Kiyokata to paint her performing a dance, but despite producing numerous sketches, including this large preparatory drawing, he never finished the painting.