Crossword Genius

Unsophisticated not having paintings? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

artless

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'unsophisticated' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)

'not having paintings?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'not' could be 'less' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'less' is found within the answer.
'paintings?' could be 'art' (painting is a type of artwork) and 'art' is present in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for artless that I've seen before include "Nave" , "Natural like slaters" , "Without guile or sophistry" , "Simple, unaffected" , "Free from cunning" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.
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