The form is what is under copyright, and the form of the paper is normative, while I would argue the form of the art, if normative, makes it illustration and not art.

If I change the hypothesis and data of a paper I change the entire meaning and consequence of the paper, although the style remains constant. If I change the palette and subject of a painting, the style remains the same and it would not be considered anything more than trivially novel.

If style is art, then there is no art in scientific papers.