Do you consider H.P. Lovecraft a "great" writer?

I often see him attacked for the explicit & implicit racism of both his works & personal life. However, many of the same detractors are also quick to label him a great writer that was simply too far ahead of his time to be appropriately appreciated during his life.

Having read all of his published works, the brilliance of his imagination is plain to see -and I would sound positively imbecilic if I were to disregard the scope of his influence. But his writing itself brims with one-dimensional characters and lengthy descriptions that straddle the line between baroque & turgid. Furthermore, his dialogue is nearly non-existent and the rare occasions he endows his characters with an active voice invariably serve as a vehicles for further overwrought description. And finally, the combination of these factors negatively affects his pacing- which is fundamental to any well-written horror/suspense literature.

So with all of that said, do you believe it's fair to consider him a great writer? Or is he best viewed as simply a creative & influence whose greatest accomplishments can better be seen in writings of more capable authors who came after him?