I consider art(none of that big-A, little-a stuff for me. I don't like pedestals, it just makes things easier to knock over. I separate it by medium or skill level) to be form of communication. Be it storytelling, emotions, or whatever else.
Which is the reason I don't particularly enjoy modern art. It is not clear in communicating what it wants to get across. I personally think that if I need artwork explained to me, then it's failed.
As storytellers, clarity in our craft is a huge part of what we do. A garbled meandering mess of a comic without clear intent on where it is going or what it people are doing is generally considered a 'bad comic'.