Ed Ruscha's artistic exploration of the urban landscape of Los Angeles in the 1980s culminated in innovative series like "City Lights" and "Metro Plots," reflecting his ongoing interest in the interplay between typography, architecture, and city life. These works showcase Ruscha's distinctive approach to capturing the essence of Los Angeles through a blend of visual and textual elements, underlining his position as a pivotal figure in the Pop Art movement and his deep connection to Southern California's visual culture.

The "City Lights" series, initiated in 1985, presents a unique interpretation of Los Angeles at night, employing grids of bright spots against dark grounds to suggest aerial views of the city's illuminated landscape. This series marks a continuation of Ruscha's fascination with urban sprawl and the enigmatic allure of the city after dark, offering viewers a stylized perspective that bridges the realms of abstraction and representation.

Expanding upon this theme, the "Metro Plots" series delves further into the mapping of Los Angeles, drawing inspiration from simplified street maps and the ubiquitous Thomas Guide books. These works juxtapose the precise, almost clinical representation of streets and routes with the chaotic, vibrant life of the city they chart. By focusing on the layout of Los Angeles, Ruscha comments on the role of the automobile in urban life and the dichotomy between the ordered world of maps and the unpredictable reality of city living. His use of schematized street maps and detailed neighborhood sections in works such as "Alvarado to Doheny" (1998) invites contemplation of the city's complex geography and the stories embedded within it.

Ruscha's work in the 1980s, particularly through these series, reflects a broader trend in his oeuvre towards the exploration of language, commercial graphics, and the landscapes of Los Angeles and Southern California. His innovative use of text, as seen in his earlier "word paintings," evolves in these later works to encompass entire cityscapes, merging visual imagery with textual commentary. This blend of elements underscores Ruscha's interest in the ways language and landscape can convey meaning and evoke emotion, a theme that has remained central to his artistic practice​ (Wikipedia)​​ (Gagosian)​.

By the 1980s, Ruscha had firmly established his signature style, characterized by a blend of commercial art training, a fascination with words and typography, and a keen observation of the American urban environment. His contributions during this period not only expanded the boundaries of Pop Art but also offered a nuanced reflection on the evolving landscape of Los Angeles and the complex interrelations between text, image, and culture. Ruscha's "City Lights" and "Metro Plots" series encapsulate his ongoing dialogue with the city that has served as his muse, offering a distinctive lens through which to view the multifaceted character of urban America in the late 20th century.