Why do pigments that absorb blue and violet light appear yellow or orange?

Pigments appear yellow or orange because of the process of subtractive color mixing, which involves the selective absorption of specific wavelengths of light.

When a substance acts as a pigment, it absorbs certain parts of the visible spectrum while reflecting or transmitting others. A yellow pigment, for instance, absorbs blue and violet light—which are at the shorter-wavelength end of the spectrum—while reflecting yellow, green, and red light. The reflected green and red light additively combine to produce the perception of yellow.1

Similarly, the specific color perceived depends on the range of wavelengths absorbed:
* Yellow: Results from the absorption of violet and some blue light.2
* Orange: Occurs when a pigment absorbs a broader range of shorter wavelengths, including violet, blue, and green light.2

In essence, the color we perceive is the result of the remaining light that is not absorbed by the pigment's molecular structure.12