Prologue: A Hideaway in Private Space

Part 1.
A room where you can quietly hide
When you need to distance yourself from the world / In an unfamiliar space / A special day to buy flowers / Living without incident / A nursery rhyme that the heart remembers / A scent forever sealed / A window to the world / A time when you choose to be alone

Part 2.
A perfect relaxation room
The Weight of Labor / A Place Where the Heart Revives / Rainy Cityscapes / How to Add Flavor to Life / Each of Our Bedrooms / An Invitation to Everyday Life / How to Temporarily Forget Sorrow / The Small Joys of Winter

Part 3.
A room good for crying alone
A familiar sleepless night / In search of lost dreams / What my tears say / Respect for existence / There is no life without anxiety / The people who make a city what it is / The sea does not disappear / Protecting my heart

Part 4.
A room you want to stay in for a long time
Happiness in this moment / Living with a child's heart / I need my own room / Shopping without a purpose is fun / Everywhere is a study / Somewhat positive changes / All this time of waiting / Driving my life

Epilogue All the Joy in the Room
List of illustrations

Without being hurt by anyone, without being disturbed by anyone, just being myself, just as I am…
When I want to be alone, a picture of comfort just for me

Everyone needs a room of their own.
When I struggle outside the world and grow weary of the repetitive routine, I dream of becoming a peaceful loner in a place where only I exist.
The 'room' at this time does not necessarily have to be a physical space.
Perhaps, just looking at one painting in “A Room Good for Being Alone” can provide a moment of pause and brief solace.

Author Woo Ji-hyun, who received much love from readers for her work, “A Picture That Comforts Me,” has published her new work, “A Room Good for Being Alone: ​​Just for Me, a Moment of Rest in a Picture,” by Wisdom House.
Artist and essayist Woo Ji-hyun is active in a wide range of fields, both painting and writing about art through various media.
In particular, we are consistently introducing excellent, lesser-known works of art, and through ‘A Room Good for Being Alone,’ we are opening up a treasure trove of beautiful masterpieces related to ‘rooms.’

A room is a very private place, yet at the same time, it is a place free from the world's regulations, and it is a place that contains countless events and times of an individual.
It is also the only sanctuary where we can spend time alone and recover our minds.
Artist Woo Ji-hyun discovered that many painters had tried to highlight the importance of time and space spent alone by capturing the various aspects of life that occur in a room on canvas, and wrote "A Room Good for Being Alone."

"A Room Good for Alone" features 145 famous paintings, including Edward Hopper's "Hotel Room" and James Tissot's "Convalescence," as well as Fanny Breit's "Anniversary," Harold Knight's "When the Tiger Went Away," Zinaida Serebriakova's "At the Dressing Table," and Gwen John's "A Corner of an Artist's Room in Paris."
In particular, it serves as a guide to the world of new masterpieces by including a large number of paintings that are not well known in Korea.
Also, as befitting an author who is making a name for himself as a 'painter who writes', he presents writings that stand out with their calm yet lyrical thoughts, gently connecting paintings and life.

When you want to hide quietly, when you need complete rest, when you want to cry alone, when you want to stay somewhere for a long time, I recommend opening "A Room Good for Being Alone."
There, you can rest, be silent, walk around as much as you want, and fully enjoy the comfort that the paintings convey.

May you enjoy all the joys of the world in your own room.

Because all we have to do is love life more.

A woman arrived at the hotel room.
It seems like it's late at night.
The dark outside scenery visible through the half-closed blinds tells us this.
As soon as she entered the room, the woman put her heavy bag on the floor, took off her clothes, and hung them on the sofa, then threw her shoes carelessly.
Are you so tired that even taking off your underwear is a hassle?
According to the records, what she was looking down at while flopping down on the bed without even taking off her corset was a train schedule.
His expression shows more hesitation than excitement, and more worry than anticipation.
It's a subtle expression that can't be defined.

Emotions that flow deep inside.
Looking at her face makes me think of how fragile, vast, and complex the human heart is.
(p.35)

The above text is a description of Edward Hopper's "Hotel Room," a famous painting that everyone has probably seen at least once.
This painting, which breathes the psychological concept of a person into a physical space, brings to mind the time spent alone in a hotel room.
A hotel room where someone stays where someone else has left, sharing the same space separately.
There, we can escape from reality, become infinitely free, and faintly discover traces of others.

In this way, "A Room Good for Being Alone" makes us reflect on various aspects of our lives and discover the value of being alone through the various stories that occur in the "room" in the painting.
The rooms mentioned in this book are not limited to bedrooms, bathrooms, and living rooms.
It includes various types of spaces that we can experience throughout our lives, such as cafes, subways, department stores, and art galleries.
Because in all of these places, we reveal our identity and build our lives.

The story in the painting, which takes place in an ordinary, everyday space, makes us face life and brings the painting into our lives.
Watching our "Evening at the Cafe Bauer," I realize anew how important alone time is, and Hermann Pennewemer's "The Bookworm" reminds me of the time and memories I have accumulated in my bedroom.
Peter Ilstedt's "In the Bedroom" soothes the fears that come with sleepless nights, and Daniel Garber's "Orchard Window" tells us that everyday happiness lies right here.
As artist Woo Ji-hyun said, 'a good painting transcends physical distance and firmly connects the painting and the audience.'

So, if you desperately need some alone time right now, why not open the door to the "room good for being alone" that opens just for you?
Now it is time to enter each room, which is a vivid scene of life.


“I hope that those who read this book can stay freely in their own rooms.
I hope this will be a time to concretize time and reinterpret space through the various aspects of the room where I sometimes hid, sometimes rested, and sometimes cried.
“I hope that through the common space of human life, where we are born in a room, live in a room, and die in a room, we can reflect on life and catch a glimpse of the true meaning of life.” _ From the prologue