Diego Velázquez

About Diego Velázquez

Diego Velázquez (1599–1660) was a leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and is widely regarded as one of the most important painters of the Baroque period. His HPI rank of #257 reflects his immense cultural influence, primarily through masterpieces like *Las Meninas*, which revolutionized portraiture with its complex psychological depth and mastery of light and atmosphere. As a preeminent court painter, his work defined an era of Spanish Golden Age art.

In the modern context of 2025 internet attention, Velázquez appears relatively overlooked. He garners approximately 302K annualized Wikipedia views, resulting in an Attention Gap of roughly 1x, suggesting his online visibility aligns closely with his historical weight, unlike some contemporaries who see massive inflation or deflation in digital interest. For comparison, Paul Gauguin, another painter, holds a slightly lower historical rank (#408) yet receives significantly more attention with 551K views.

This relative stability masks a slight decline, as his view count is down 4.1% year-over-year, and his recent momentum dropped by 20% from Q1 to Q3 2025, indicating a modest but consistent drift away from peak online engagement.