"The Song of Winter" Original Oil on Stretched Canvas by Ilja Motov Size: 30" x 24" Certificate of Authenticity and appraisal is included. Ilja Motov The Russian artist Ilja Motov was born in 1983 in Samara City, which is located on the Volga River. His parents were doctors and highly educated people. Many artists used to gather in Motov’s home as well as journalists, actors, writers and other spiritual people. Ilja's brother, Dimitri is a well known artist. In 1999 Ilja entered the well-respected Art College in Kharkov City to continue his education. In his paintings you can see his admiration for small towns and ordinary people, landscapes in the countryside, peaceful images of old Russia. His special use of colors, texture and unique style, a combination of brush strokes and palette knife, has made his work very interesting and promising.