Cox’s work is characterised by carefully constructed compositions with a magical, surreal atmosphere, gestural energy, and a vivid colour palette echoing the Cobra artists, with recurring references to violence, cruelty, and vulnerability. In his final works, he increasingly confronts the horror humans inflict upon one another — an obsession rooted in his experiences in the lead-up to the Second World War. Papageno symbolises the animal side of human nature, living autonomously in harmony with the natural world — representing the sensual, instinct-driven side of humanity over reason.