From the 1930s to the 1940s, Sha Qi’s artistic career began and flourished. He successively studied at the Shanghai Fine Arts School, the National Academy of Art in Hangzhou, and the Art Department of National Central University. Later, through the recommendation of Xu Beihong, he entered the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Belgium, where he received honors. Although most of Sha’s early works—especially those created in Europe—follow the French academic tradition, flashes of his distinctive command of color occasionally emerge.

This youthful self-portrait reveals the influence of Impressionism in both brushwork and color. The young boy in red sits at a mahogany table reading The Great Learning, a scene that reflects the painter’s nostalgic reflection on his cultural roots while living abroad. Executed swiftly with concise techniques, the painting combines intense colors, expressive brushstrokes, and contour lines reminiscent of traditional Chinese figure painting, offering an early glimpse into the artistic style Sha Qi would later develop.