Some critics claim that Diego Velazquez, a master of technique and highly individual in style, had a greater influence on european art *compared to* any other painter.

D) than those of
E) than did

Why is the answer E? Isn’t the question comparing Diego’s INFLUENCE to the INFLUENCE of any other painters? If the answer includes “did”, then isn’t the sentence comparing INFLUENCE to ACTION?

Why is choice D wrong?

He HAD influence more than other painters HAD influence. That’s why the “did” is important.