The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word MANET
M
A
N
E
T
More clues leading to the result MANET
- Artist mid-morning, maybe, returning
- Artist paid to pen article
- Artist remains on stage
- Police holding an artist
- Producer of pictures, including kind of adult sci-fi movie
- French painter returning mid-morning?
- He painted beings, terrestrial and otherwise
- Impressionist article housed by art museum
- Painter, male and French
- Man, and French Impressionist
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "He painted" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case he painted = manet.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.