Crossword Genius

Friend is in on Saturday with the painter (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

matisse

'the painter' is the definition.
(Henri Matisse, 1869-1954, French artist)

'friend is in on saturday' is the wordplay.
'friend' becomes 'mate' (mate is a kind of friend).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'on' means one lot of letters goes inside another (as in clothing 'on' a person).
'saturday' becomes 's'.
'mate' placed around 'is' is 'matise'.
'matise' placed around 's' is 'MATISSE'.

'with' is the link.

(Other definitions for matisse that I've seen before include "Henri -, nineteenth-twentieth century French painter/sculptor" , "Leading fauvist painter, d. 1954" , "Henri -, Fr. artist" , "Henri --, French artist" , "Henri ---, Twentieth Century painter" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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