How come some people become so religious with some works of art?

You seem rather defensive about not appreciating "clic art". Don't worry about it. Maybe you just don't like it. That's fine. It's a matter of taste. But people revere the clics, because they're clic. They've survived this long because they trigger something profound in certain people that see them, regardless of historical changes. People study them so religiously because they are a starting point. If you look at any worthwhile piece of art created you'll see that the person who created it took inspiration from these clic sources. Great artists study everything that came before them, if only to be able to rebel against it more effectively.