Magenta Doesn’t Exist? – Arts on the Brain (2024)

Recently in class we learned about the mantis shrimp and its ability to see color like no other animal on the planet. Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) are brightly colored crustaceans that live on reefs. They are commonly known among fisherman as “thumb splitters” because of their hammer-like claws which can deliver blows that accelerate as fast as a .22-caliber bullet.

Researchers have long known that the mantis shrimp eye contains 12 color receptors, but they had no idea why (Pappas, 2020). On the other hand, humans and most other animals use three color-receptors to see the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. To observe the visible spectrum, light receptors within the eye transmit messages to the brain, which then produces color (Color intelligence, 2020).

Magenta Doesn’t Exist? – Arts on the Brain (1)

One of the first thoughts I had while learning about the mantis shrimp was whether they could see and perceive colors which humans can’t even conceive. Is there a whole other rainbow out there with various colors that we just can’t see? Apparently not: turns out, there are six colors that we can see that technically don’t exist.

Before all else, it is important to establish that the color magenta is just an illusion created by our eyes. This purplish-red-crimson color, located between red and blue on the color wheel, is extra special as it is not found on the visible spectrum of light and there is no wavelength of light that corresponds to that particular color. Rather, it is physiologically and psychologically perceived as a mixture of red and blue. So technically, magenta doesn’t exist.

Our eyes have receptors called cones for three different colors: red, green, and blue. By combining the three colors in different ways, secondary colors can be created. For example, a combination of blue and red makes purple. The way this works is that if the eye reports the red and blue receptors being stimulated, the brain also processes the absence of green (How to See Colors That Don’t Exist, 2020). This is not only important for being able to interpret colors immediately, but also it allows the brain to correct for different color temperatures. For instance, our brains report white paper as white even if it were under a blue light, despite only activating the blue receptors. Because of this process, we can enable ourselves to see colors which don’t really exist.

By exploiting this fact about how our eyes work and exposing our eyes to bright primary or secondary colors, we can saturate the corresponding cones and thus block out other signals. Looking at the opposite color on the color wheel will then produce a color that is oversaturated – a color that is imaginary (How to See Colors That Don’t Exist, (2020). The effect soon fades, however, as the brain readjusts to the normal world.

Researchers have criticized this possibility of impossible colors as they believe these are just intermediary colors between two color cones (Pappas, 2020). However, we do know that people have seen colors that they have never seen before. So, I guess it’s safe to say that impossible colors may not exist, but it’s definitely possible to trick our brain into seeing new hues.

The link below brings you to a website where you can try to see all the imaginary colors.

View a gallery of the colors here!

The nonexistent colors that you can see, and the colors needed to see them, are as follows:

To see supermagenta, look at green.

To see superblue, look at yellow.

To see supergreen, look at magenta.

To see superred, look at cyan.

To see superyellow, look at blue.

To see supercyan, look at red.

For example, to see superblue, stare at pure yellow for a minute or so, then immediately look at blue. The blue should appear bluer than normal.

References:

Pappas, S. (2020). Aggressive Mantis Shrimp Sees Color Like No Other. Retrieved 20 September 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/42797-mantis-shrimp-sees-color.html

Color Intelligence. (2020). Retrieved 20 September 2020, from https://www.pantone.com/color-intelligence/articles/technical/how-do-we-see-color

How To See Colors That Don’t Exist. (2020). Retrieved 20 September 2020, from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/91138/how-see-colors-dont-exist

Image Reference:

Fehlhaber, K. (2020). The Spectacularly Colorful World of the Mantis Shrimp – Knowing Neurons. Retrieved 24 September 2020, from https://knowingneurons.com/2016/06/22/colorful-mantis-shrimp/

Magenta Doesn’t Exist? – Arts on the Brain (2024)

FAQs

Why do people say magenta doesn't exist? ›

there is no wavelength of light for magenta. Instead, we perceive it only when the short and long cones pick up a signal from pure red and pure blue light. Our brains literally make up magenta.

Can your brain see magenta? ›

Rather, it is physiologically and psychologically perceived as a mixture of red and blue. So technically, magenta doesn't exist. Our eyes have receptors called cones for three different colors: red, green, and blue. By combining the three colors in different ways, secondary colors can be created.

What is the true color of magenta? ›

Magenta is an extra-spectral color, meaning that it is not found in the visible spectrum of light. Rather, it is physiologically and psychologically perceived as the mixture of red and violet/blue light, with the absence of green.

Is magenta a color illusion? ›

Magenta doesn't have its own wavelength in visible light, though, so it's actually an optical illusion. Magenta is an alluring purple-red that brings vivid passion, power, and energy.

What does magenta mean in life? ›

Magenta is a colour of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. It promotes compassion, support and kindness and encourages a sense of self-respect and contentment in those who use it.

Does magenta exist in nature? ›

Those colours do exist in nature, though a properly vivid magenta is rare, they just don't exist in a colour spectrum. The colours in the spectrum all exist as a single wavelength, but most colours in nature exist as a mix of many or even all wavelengths.

What is the only color not found in nature? ›

Magenta, because it doesn't exist on the light spectrum, doesn't have one. Rather, it's something our brain creates to fill in space in a way that makes sense. Usually, when trying to determine color, the brain simply averages the colors to come up with an outcome.

What color does your brain remember most? ›

Memory for the color of objects was higher for red than for blue and green-colored objects, and again, although memory for red colors was descriptively higher than for yellow colors, no statistically significant difference was observed between red and yellow colors.

What color is the brain when alive? ›

‍The human brain color physically is white, black, and red-pinkish while it is alive and pulsating. Images of pink brains are relative to their actual state. The brains seen in movies exhibit white, gray, and yellow shadows because they are disconnected from the blood and oxygen flow.

What is the opposite of magenta? ›

The hue magenta is the complement of green: magenta pigments absorb green light, thus magenta and green are opposite colors.

What is the hardest color to see? ›

Red. Red's longer wavelengths can make it difficult for some people to see, especially those with protanopia (red-green color blindness).

Why is magenta called magenta? ›

The dye was developed chemically in 1856 and owes its name to the bloody battle by the Italian town of Magenta. Due to the poor lightfastness of the dye, the red-pink colour these days is made based on the pigment Quinacridone.

Why is magenta a fake color? ›

Violet and red, the two components of magenta, are at opposite ends of the visible spectrum and have very different wavelengths. The additive secondary color magenta is made by combining violet and red light at equal intensity; it is not present in the spectrum itself.

Is magenta technically purple? ›

Magenta is a purplish-red color. It is considered a dark pink or tint of pink. In the HSV (RGB) color wheel, magenta is a secondary color, made using red and blue.

What is the psychological effect of the color magenta? ›

The colour magenta can lighten our moods and inspire a feeling of joy. Magenta stimulates feelings of cheerfulness and contentment. It encourages people to appreciate the things that they have and things they have already achieved. You will also feel more optimistic if you are surrounded by this colour.

What is the nonexistent color? ›

According to the opponent-process theory, under normal circ*mstances, there is no hue that could be described as a mixture of opponent hues; that is, as a hue looking "redgreen" or "yellowblue".

Is there a color that doesn't exist in nature? ›

Magenta doesn't exist because it has no wavelength; there's no place for it on the spectrum. The only reason we see it is because our brain doesn't like having green (magenta's complement) between purple and red, so it substitutes a new thing. That makes enough sense, right?

What is the negative meaning of the color magenta? ›

From a negative perspective, magenta can promote depression and despair in some, and prevent others from dealing with challenges - it may be just too relaxing for introverts and the chronically depressed.

Why is magenta not a primary color? ›

Though we can see magenta, and it is, in some contexts, a primary color, it is not technically real. Magenta is not a real color because it does not have it's own wavelength. If the red cone in our eye is firing, we see red. If both the red and green cones are firing, we see yellow.

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