This paper argues that aesthetic emotions—emotions experienced when evaluating art as art—are inherently epistemic emotions, as they enhance cognitive processing and understanding. This claim will be discussed within a framework of Affective Aesthetic Cognitivism that posits that emotional engagement with art is central to fostering cognitive expansion, reflection, and creative insight. I will conduct a Philosophically Guided supplementary Analysis (PGsA) of existing empirical data from published studies, demonstrating that aesthetic emotions in their datasets are correlated to both high ratings of artistic value and cognitive transformations, including moments of insight and shifts in perspective. This paper bridges the gap between philosophical aesthetics and empirical research. It will discuss the embodiment, core affect, and semantic dimension of wonder, and demonstrate that it is a paradigmatic aesthetic emotion that tracks the artistic value of art.