How do critics give reasons for aesthetic judgments?

In the context of aesthetics, critics provide reasons for their judgments by attempting to justify their subjective responses and persuade others to view a work of art in a similar light. This process involves several approaches:1

• Articulating Aesthetic Impressions: Critics use specific aesthetic terms—such as affective terms (e.g., moving, disturbing), terms denoting emotional qualities (e.g., sad, lively), or terms describing formal features and genre (e.g., tragic, ironic)—to describe and justify their experience of a work.1
• Establishing Frames of Reference: Because criticism is often the justification of a response, critics rely on a shared frame of reference or a canon of accepted works. By placing a work in relation to these "touchstones," critics use the perceived greatness of established works as a standard of measurement for others.1
• Focusing on the Object: Modern criticism often shifts away from the artist's hidden intentions—avoiding the intentional fallacy—to focus on the work itself. Critics analyze the object's structure, typology, and formal qualities to provide objective grounds for their evaluations.12
• Moral and Philosophical Awareness: Some critics, such as F.R. Leavis, argue that objective value judgments arise from a direct confrontation between the critic's intelligence and the work, informed by a moral awareness that allows them to measure the work's expression of human feeling and character.1

Ultimately, the goal of these critical reasons is to enhance the understanding and appreciation of the art in question.3