the fauves (many of whom would become cubists), were heavily influenced by neo-impressionism, calling upon rational and scientific thought and creating highly abstract visions with the goal of producing the effects of real color-light. mechanical brushwork suppressed the personality of the artist in an act of conspicuous defiance against the impressionists. the symbolists too would strip away the casual and accidental features of reality, revealing the true 'essence of form.' whether such a revelation could be backed up by a scientific theory or not, there were still examples that could be codified. the problem was that pigments "reflect" light, they are not a light source themselves. colors in the spectra of light did not respond in the same way as color pigments painted on canvas. for example, red and blue light rays result in white light, but the same colors in pigments make violet.