Gauzy's painting depicts a woman in a dark navy jumpsuit seated at a table draped with a blue and white checkered tablecloth, enjoying coffee and breakfast on a balcony overlooking lush vegetation. The tree's canopy above is rendered in forceful, scratched brushstrokes that evoke the rough texture of rustling leaves. The work exemplifies Gauzy's signature lucid beige tonality and her masterful treatment of light. Though the palette skews toward ochre and subdued tones, though the sun itself remains invisible and highlights are sparing, the entire scene radiates an ineffable luminosity—as if the woman sits beneath a canopy of leaves with absolute sunshine and warmth flooding the space beyond. The tablecloth and the woman's blue collar and trouser details create a tonal rhythm that establishes the painting's spontaneity and intimacy. Paradoxically, the coolness of the chromatic rendering enhances the illusion of sunlight filtering through foliage and settling on the woman's shoulder. This particular effect stems from Gauzy's mastery of warmth in the undertones of her highlights. The tarmac balcony floor is painted in alternating patches of rosy tone, cool green, and pale olive. This full chromatic spectrum coalesces into a unified visual plane that suggests depth, gently receding toward the paler yet more vivid green at the back, where the tree canopy resides. This creamy, tonal background establishes contrast while paradoxically flattening our subconscious perception of perspective. The artist also subverts traditional chiaroscuro principles by filling the background with considerably lighter values that contrast sharply with the woman's dark clothing. What proves revolutionary is Gauzy's deliberate inversion of classical compositional rules to achieve something entirely fresh, yet ultimately serving classical realist aims. Through such playful defiance of academic conventions, Gauzy forges a style inflected with Impressionist-inspired Fauvist sensibilities. On one hand, her unique luminosity pays homage to the en plein air tradition of capturing light and landscape. On the other hand, her forceful, precise brushwork and intentional compression of pictorial space engage directly with Fauvist concerns.

Jeanne Rachel Lévy was born in Paris on 4 January 1886. She married Fernand Joseph Raphaël Gauzy in 1910, subsequently adopting his surname professionally. An active artist throughout her career, Gauzy worked primarily in France and exhibited regularly at prominent galleries and Salons. Her achievements include a silver medal in 1922 and the prestigious Pillini Prize in 1934. In 1924, she presented four canvases at the Galerie Grégoire, comprising a floral study, a landscape, and two outdoor scenes. Her work attracted institutional recognition: four paintings were acquired by the Centre national des arts plastiques (National Centre for Visual Arts). Most notably, Black and White entered the collection of the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence and has remained on long-term deposit at the CNAP since 1935 (Fig. 1). Gauzy continued her artistic practice until her death in Montpellier on 30 September 1968.

(Fig. 1) Jeanne Gauzy, Black and White, 1935 (on deposit), oil on canvas, 54 × 73 cm, © Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence / Centre national des arts plastiques