One of the few works in the collection with Sidney's own alphanumeric title recorded in the catalog: A-O. The title is enigmatic — it could be a sequential designation (A series, work O), an abbreviation for something personal, or simply the letters A and O chosen for their visual or phonetic resonance. Whatever its origin, it suits the work perfectly: something both systematic and mysterious, both labeled and unknown.
The composition is small and contained — 7.5" × 8.25" — which makes its visual ambition all the more striking. Large biomorphic forms in orange, pink, lavender, and teal sweep across the white ground in bold curves. The largest form — orange at upper left — is a massive curved shape that commands the upper half of the composition. Against it, a large pink form at upper right curves in the opposite direction, the two shapes creating an S or figure-eight dynamic at the top of the painting. Below, smaller forms continue the conversation: a yellow C-shape containing a green form, a teal dotted mass at lower left, a pink form at lower right that echoes the upper pink.
The ink outlines here are used selectively — only some forms are outlined, while others exist purely as washes — creating a variation in definition that gives the composition visual rhythm. The small dots scattered through the middle ground — blue, teal, red — are the characteristic punctuation marks of Sidney's small-format abstract work, connective tissue between the larger forms.
At such small scale, the boldness of the mark-making is remarkable. There is no timidity in the handling — the large curved forms are committed, the colors decisive. This is a small painting that thinks big.