The artist in "The Rope" (7)
I believe the answer is:
painter
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'the artist' is the first definition.
(painter is a kind of artist)
'rope' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in the' is the link.
(Other definitions for painter that I've seen before include "Matisse, maybe" , "Bow tie" , "that may tie up a cat, perhaps?" , "Bacon, perhaps" , "keeps a boat by the bank" .)