Walter Ophey and Berlin

Walter Ophey (1882 – 1930) was a German painter and graphic artist. With August Macke, Heinrich Nauen and others, he belonged to the Rhineland Expressionists. He was born in Eupen (today a Belgian town) and he passed away at an early age in Düsseldorf. So, what is he doing in this blog ? He lived and worked during the Weimar era, yes, and he did wonderful things, but what relationship did he have to Berlin ?
Well, he did have a relationship, albeit a negative one : he must be one of the few artists of that time who never seems to have either studied or worked in Berlin. He was then a Berliner of a kind : more specifically a Non-Berliner, or maybe an Anti-Berliner, as is the case with many Rhenanians. 

(I had in mind an old joke : at a political rally,  a policeman is giving a man a beating. "You bloody Communist !", he yells. "But, I am an Anti-Communist !", the man protests. "I don’t care what sort of damn Communist you are !" says the cop.)