 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 : 
