David,
Balance, design, symmetry, negative space, complimentary coloring.... these are not things that were invented by Modernists. They are the instinctive and learned elements of many of the finest works by traditional realists for hundreds of years.
But without a compelling subject and theme, balance, design and color become boring and meaningless, and if the colors happen to be pretty, well I doubt they're any prettier than painting day glow paints on an electric fan and running it in a dark room under ultra violet lights........... all done to exhaustion in the 60's in psychedelic environments.
I'd put a room of those up against a gallery of Rothko, Pollock and DeKooning any time.
It's subject and theme about humanity that makes a work of art.... well.... a work of art. Whether theatre, poetry, literature, painting or sculpture! Our hopes, our dreams, fear, love, tragedy, comedy, greed, struggling with identity, purpose, fantasies, myth, legends, religion, pain, abandonment, belonging, etc., etc.
They are worthy of the artist's time, and only such themes well considered, designed and composed with elegance, grace, balance, and harmoniously brought together with the finest drawing, modeling, perspective, color, tone, light, and atmosphere so as to enhance and support that theme..... it is there that one must go to find or create great masterpieces of art.
Fred