Dieric Bouts the Younger (1448 – May 2, 1491) Dieric Bouts the Younger, also Dirk Bouts the Younger, (ca. 1448 – May 2, 1491) was a Flemish painter who resided primarily in Leuven. He stands apart from his contemporaries as an artist whose stylistic approach consistently prioritized restraint and solemnity—a distinction that earned him the moniker “the painter of silence.” His artistic legacy resides not in flamboyant experimentation but in meticulous observation and profound understanding of religious symbolism, cementing his place as one of the most influential figures within the Early Net…