Is art, art?

During my research on minimalist art I came across these two pieces. I must say these two, three-panel pieces, make me truly question the "nature" of art and ones ability to perceive it. What is art? Who needs lines anyway? (I hope this gets the marble rolling.)



"The work consisted of three panels, painted completely white. The artist insisted that the color white represented nothing at all. Is this art?"


Your can read the entire piece here: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/upload/2007/06/art2high.php

"Another work, of similar size, displayed again over three panels. This time the work reprints a scientific paper in its entirety: "Interaction of stellar wind with diffuse nebulae," by S.B. Pikel'ner. If you click on the image you can actually read the whole paper. So is this art?"

Here's what one blogger had to say:
"I think the art lies in the two pieces taken together. To the average viewer, both pieces have about the same level of content. To a person who not an expert in the field, the science paper has about as much information as the completely blank 3 frames.

Now, with regards to the three white frames, that is actually quite a feat to do 3 completely blank frames and have no texture, no variation of colour, nothing but completely white. Now, I'm only looking at a picture so I cannot say much to it, but if he did that by hand I would be very impressed.

I think the second piece of art on it's own does not say much other than science is an impenetrable as art, however when taken in context with the first piece it really begins to show a theme for this artist. Basically the idea that even though there is something up on the wall, or there is text on that science page, it is still empty and thus represents nothing at all to the average viewer.

The interaction of stellar winds with nebulae is meaningless and will remain at least functionally meaningless for many centuries to come to the ordinary person on the street, and thus like the first piece. It means nothing at all, just like the 3 white frames."