Born in St. Petersburg in 1961, Ilia immigrated to Canada in 1997 and settled in Montreal. He painted still lifes and landscapes until 2001 when he started producing paintings inspired by art from the Middle Ages and the Northern Renaissance. This change in genre coincided with his being selected by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to exhibit three of his paintings.  Zaitseff was 24 when he graduated from the State Naval University of St. Petersburg. He studied mechanical engineering graphic design, majoring in naval construction. He nevertheless soon chose to indulge his love of art and at 28 he became a guide-interpreter at the prestigious HermitageMuseum.

He took courses at the Mukhina Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg (formerly known as the BaronSchtiglitzDrawingAcademy). He attended drawing and painting classes for three years, while at the same time familiarizing himself with the classical methods of European painters of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Subject-Matter In discussing his work, the artist frequently alludes to German and Flemish painters of the Renaissance. Indeed, the majority of his paintings are constructed according to a strict perspective, the figures situated in a well defined space. His rendering of richly embroidered fabrics and opulent slabs of marble is remarkably precise and detailed. He uses symbols and text in his paintings that reference the Gothic style prevalent in the Middle Ages. A stylish shoe seemingly ready to glide across the floor, an omnipresent Siamese cat, an apple or a mirror are all significant in creating a mysterious effect. His inclusion of a phrase in German or Latin written in Gothic script serves to enlighten somewhat the enigma of his paintings. But any comparison to classical art stops there.

Ilia places his figures in historical settings but they are dressed in present-day fashions. The young and sophisticated woman who appears in most of his paintings beckons the viewer with a seductive, enigmatic look. Her idealized body and fashionable clothing may well refer to the artist's wife who is herself a fashion model working in the world of fashion design. However, these are not portraits, but rather they are paintings that hint at a story that tantalizes our imagination but that remain shrouded in mystery. Technique Ilia works in oil on panel applying a thin layer of pigment that has the transparency of classical art.