Your questions are out of order, and some of them are repetitive.
This topic is very deep, and I can't say it clearly, but I personally have an opinion:
1. The core idea of Chinese painting comes from Taoism's "externalization without internalization", that is, it develops according to tradition, so it is generally said that Chinese painting uses the word "innovation" less, which means it comes from tradition.
2. "Modern meticulous painting" probably recovered in 1970s and 1980s, and developed after 1980s and 1990s (this statement is uncertain, and opinions vary), but it is quite mature now.
3. "Innovation" is not directional, but cyclical with trial. For example, in the 1980 s and 1990 s, heavy colors were "fashionable", but in recent years they were "retro" compared with previous years ... but these are the overall trends, not the whole picture.
Materials, ingredients and colors ... all depend on styles and individuals, so we have to say that some representative figures ... it's a long story ... too much!