"Wow, is that from a serious film? It looks like some ridiculous satire."
To you and to me it looks like satire. To Westerners, however:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_(2002_film)#Critical_responseOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 211 reviews, with an average rating of 8.20/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With death-defying action sequences and epic historic sweep, Hero offers everything a martial arts fan could ask for."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A-" on scale of A to F.[19]
And then the West-worshipping Chinese trust the Western reviews and start making more of the same.....
"On the topic of Western aesthetics being the opposite of child-like, here are some paintings that make this contrast obvious:"
These are adults in children's bodies! Then again, what else can we expect from Westerners who often use the term "precocious" with a positive connotation.....
"On another topic, self-aggrandizement is an important part of Western art."
Excellent examples! This is yet another form of space-filling, this time with paintings inside paintings. One way or another, Westerners will try to fill every space they get their hands on.