The article describes an experimental research that investigates categorical structure of art perception. The system of visual oppositions of still life elements is analyzed. The still life itself is viewed as a special visual utterance about world, i. e. as a visual aphorism. The method applied is a construction of semantic spaces and their transformation by implying additional elements which subsequently bring new semantic relations into the picture. The problem of alternatives of interpretation of complex visual objects is discussed. The typology of still life interpretation as a realization of visual hermeneutics is revealed empirically.