 Drowning Girl presents an "unmistakeable acknowledgement to the flamboyant linearism of Art Nouveau". The waves are intended to "recall Hokusai as well as the biomorphic forms of Arp and Miró;" just as the source comics may have intended to. Lichtenstein has claimed a strong relation between the original comic book source panel and Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa, making this work a bridge between the two. The adaptation of the wave print is said to add a decorative look and feel to the painting, without which the work might be much more alarming to the viewer. Lichtenstein even made the connection between Drowning Girl's arabesque waves and "the Art Nouveau aesthetic". Regarding this work, Lichtenstein stated:
