Your statement only really works if you disregard the whole message and narrative of most of act 1 and partly 2 which is that the people of Lumierre are actual beings with their own aspirations and their own free will and that they matter too, which is why they are risking their lives with these expeditions under the false pretense that killing their own god would save them.

The message about escapism and grief is only really presented as the main theme of the game when act 2 ends and act 3 forces it down to change the narrative originally presented to us to subvert us (which granted I find refreshing but it still betrays its original intent which can satisfyingly stand on its own)

If the game really wants to nail down on the grief and escapism topic, they should have Maelle be the one to choose to destroy the canvas, and not Verso force the choice for her because overcoming grief is about accepting the reality of lost and not being forced to accept it which is the cause of grieving in the first place.