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In April 1912, Schiele was arrested under suspicion of seducing an underage girl and sent for trial in St Pölten. Although the charge was not proven, he was sentenced for allowing children access to the 'immoral' drawings in his studio. He suffered the humiliation of seeing one of his drawings burnt in court publicly. He spent a total of 24 days in prison, an experience that left him severely traumatized and that was documented in watercolours such as Self-portrait as Prisoner (1912). His state of mind can be gauged from the comments inscribed on these pictures: for example, 'I do not feel punished, but purified'; 'To hamper an artist is a crime, the murder of germinating life!'; 'I will battle through for art and my loved ones!'; and 'A winding path leads over abysses'.
Schiele's notes from prison were published after his death, although their authenticity is disputed.
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