Girl with a Pearl Earring vs The Scream
Which painting? Pick one and see how the world splits.
- Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer · 1665 49% · #5 in the world
- The Scream Edvard Munch · 1893 51% · #4 in the world
What the votes say
Too close to call: the world picks The Scream over Girl with a Pearl Earring by just 51% to 49%. The Scream is #4 of the 130 paintings in the world ranking, and #2 of the 57 from the 19th century. Girl with a Pearl Earring is #5, and #1 of the 5 by Johannes Vermeer.
The case for each
Girl with a Pearl Earring: Johannes Vermeer's girl in a turban (about 1665), not a portrait but a study of a face, in the Mauritshuis in The Hague; a 1999 novel and a 2003 film told a story around it.
The Scream: Edvard Munch's figure under a blood-red sky, made in several versions between 1893 and 1910; the 1895 pastel sold for nearly 120 million dollars in 2012.
Side by side
| Girl with a Pearl Earring | The Scream | |
|---|---|---|
| World rank | #5 | #4 |
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer | Edvard Munch |
| Year | 1665 | 1893 |