The Alpha and the Omega
Richard Krause, c. 2004

In this contemporary version of the Pieta, we see a recreation of the biblical imagery in a biblical context with a hardy amount of artistic licence reflecting the pop culture / high kitsch sensibility of the late 20th Century. The Alpha and The Omega, referring to Mary's necklace likely alludes to the duality of beginning and end, life and death.

This is a direct reference to Michelangelo's Vatican Pieta, a further illustration of how this image by virtue of pose alone, has become iconic.