The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word INGRES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
I
N
G
R
E
S
More clues leading to the result INGRES
- Painter missing the bottom bit of entrance
- Painter decoratING RESidences in the centre
- Painter enthralling residents to some extent
- Artist accommodated in imposing residence
- Artist painting restorer reveals
- Artist reduced access
- Singer put off artist who admired 11
- Artist using restored frames
- Singer disturbed painter
- Artist
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Artist" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case artist = ingres.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.