[1] He showed early interest in painting during his primary and secondary education which he finished in his hometown and in İzmir.

[3] Graduating the school with the highest degree after four years, Çallı was sent to France with a fellowship from government where he studied under Fernand Cormon.

[1] During his years in France he didn't pay much attention to upcoming movements like cubism, he embraced a free style close to impressionism.

With the outbreak of World War I, he returned home and was appointed assistant to Salvatore Valeri at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

[4] In 2014, his painting "Avluda Oturanlar" (English: "People Sitting in Courtyard") dated from 1913, sold for a record price at auction.