English composer and Italian author rejecting a Spanish painter (2,5)
I believe the answer is:
el greco
'spanish painter' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'english composer and italian author rejecting a' is the wordplay.
'english composer' becomes 'Elgar' (Edward Elgar, 1857-1934).
'and' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and').
'italian author' becomes 'eco' (Umberto Eco).
'rejecting' is a deletion indicator.
'a' becomes 'an'.
'elgar'+'n'+'eco'='elgarneco'
'elgarneco' with 'an' taken out is 'EL GRECO'.
(Other definitions for el greco that I've seen before include "He painted" , "Spanish painter born 1541 in Crete" , "Spanish painter, nicknamed for his place of birth" , "Sixteenth to seventeenth century Greek-born Spanish painter" , "Spanish artist born in Crete" .)