Representative Albums: "Sugar on Sunday: The Definitive Collection," "The Clique"
Representative Songs: "Superman," "Sugar on Sunday," "I'll Hold Out My Hand"
Biography
The Clique had a medium hit in late 1969 with "Sugar on Sunday," a cover of a song from Tommy James' Crimson and Clover album, and a smaller hit with "I'll Hold Out My Hand," a song from their sole album. Emphasizing harmonies and carefully arranged light pop-rock tunes with horns, they were part of the scene that's now known as L.A. sunshine pop, except that they fell closer to bubblegum than some other acts in the genre. Like several such acts of the time, they were less a self-contained group than a vehicle for producer/songwriter Gary Zekley, who co-wrote much of their material with Mitchell Bottler and used session musicians on most of their tracks. If other such singer/producers in California at the time (like Gary Usher and Curt Boettcher) emulated the lightest aspects of The Beach Boys, then Zekley and the Clique were lighter still, sometimes sounding a little like the Monkees or bubblegum groups of the time like the Cuff Links, and at gutsier moments like Tommy James (who produced a couple of Clique cuts). As it turned out, however, the Clique are not remembered today for "Sugar on Sunday," but for its B-side, "Superman." Out of the ordinary for the Clique in its cool paisley moodiness and forceful guitar strumming, it was covered in 1986 by R.E.M. on Life's Rich Pageant; their version has become far more famous than the original. The Clique's album was reissued on CD by Varese Sarabande, with bonus tracks. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
They have been described as “the first group of British artists to combine for greater strength and to announce that the great backward-looking tradition of the Academy was not relevant to the requirements of contemporary art”.[1]
Information about the activities of The Clique derives mainly from the reminiscences of Frith and a short essay published in the Art Journal in 1898 by Gilbert Imray, a friend of the group. Both state that the group called themselves by this name at the time and that they formed a sketching club. Imray describes the aspirations of some members and explains that at their meetings they would all produce drawings on the same subject and ask non-artists such as Imray to judge the merits of the works.[2]
They met together at the end of the 1830s and early 1840s. The group broke up in 1843 when Dadd became insane and was incarcerated after murdering his father. The others all became successful members of the Royal Academy of Arts (though O'Neil only became an associate member, not a full member). Their work was supported by the newly-founded Art Journal.
Ideas
The Clique was characterised by their rejection of academic high art in favour of genre painting, following the precedents of William Hogarth and David Wilkie. This was in line with their view that art should be judged by the public, not by its conformity to academic ideals.
In the 1850s most members of The Clique became inveterate enemies of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, believing their art to be willfully eccentric and primitivist. Frith and O'Neil wrote many attacks on Pre-Raphaelite principles. However Egg became a friend and supporter of William Holman Hunt.
Portraits of members of The Clique were commissioned by Patrick Allan-Fraser for Hospitalfield House in Arbroath.
In the 1860s another group of artists with similar ideas became known as the St. John's Wood Clique.
References
^ Greysmith, David, ‘’Richard Dadd: The Rock and Castle of Seclusion’’, London, Studio Vistas, 1973, p.76
^ Imray, J., A Reminiscence of Sixty Years Ago, Art Journal, 1898, p.202.
Literature
Cowling, Mary. Victorian Figurative Painting. London, Andreas Papadakis Publisher, 2001.
Valentine, Helen, ed. Art in the Age of Queen Victoria: Treasures from the Royal Academy of Arts Permanent Collection. New Haven and London, Yale University Press/Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1999.
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