The painting The Kiss presents an embracing couple, concealed behind a large golden cloak. Two distinctive parts constitute the image. The first part depicting the man shows a repeating geometric black and white motif, and the second part portrays the woman who is kneeling, and her head is resting on her shoulder and the man's hand is holding. Their clinging bodies have indeterminate shapes so they look like one person. The bodies of the man and woman are partly connected by luxurious clothes of bright colors decorated with a series of colorful shapes. The man's clothes is rectangular, symbolizing strength and virility, while the woman's is floral and rounded, representing maternity and femininity. A woman's appearance contains a few geometric shapes that connect her with a man and symbolize their unity. Their love relationship is highlighted in the barely noticeable border of their bodies, due to the almost identical weaving of shapes that symbolically separates them from the rest of the world. They are completely untouched by time and the outside world, concealed only in their embrace.
The primary colors in the painting The Kiss are gold, brown, yellow, and green. In the background are gold leaflets that bring depth to this painting. There is gold on the leaves, clothes, and dots strewn on the canvas. Gustav Klimt used eight different types of gold leaves. He applied paints and shellac to the gold to get different types of shine.
