Why would people have disapproved?
Because the European art world of Georges de la Tour's 17th-century day influenced society much the way our universities influence today. Certain styles are "woke", and others are heresy, no matter how objectively valuable they may look to those removed from the prejudices of the times. The reigning artists were called "the academy", and they had exhibitions somewhat comparable to the Academy Awards. Certain painters or paintings were considered unworthy or scandalous, and the artists were rejected.
His Wikipedia page says his "output was rather small" and, "After his death at Lunéville in 1652, La Tour's work was forgotten until rediscovered by Hermann Voss, a German scholar, in 1915." This indicates to me that he may have been sneered at by the academy.
Having said that, I do not know the exact circumstances of this artist. But the example you showed stands greatly in contrast to the classical references in most of the other works of the period that you displayed. The religious theme seemed to demand from those wanting to be considered acceptable to the academy a conditioned response: grand architecture and draperies, dramatic poses and lush details, just as today's counter-religious academy demands woke virtue-signaling in every public endeavor.