Rather than capture the minute details of a place, Ryder enjoyed interpreting the poetic nature of the scene before him. As a contemporary critic noted: “Mr. Ryder…has sensed the right proportion between the real and the unreal, between detail and vagueness. Noticeable in all his paintings is the simplicity and balance of his composition – a harmony of colors in which there is no disturbing note – a delicate adjustment of strength and tenderness.”  These qualities of Ryder’s work are evident in Early Winter. Eschewing the impulse to record each tree branch or fluttering leaf or specific features of the homestead, Ryder opts to use spirited brushwork and broad swaths of color to render the qualities of light and atmosphere he witnessed after what may have been the first significant snowfall of the season.